Reduction of tailpipe emissions from gasoline internal combustion engines with a combination of sorbents

A method of treating an exhaust emission from an internal combustion engine during an engine cold-start, the method comprising:

• providing an exhaust emission from the internal combustion engine to an exhaust line during the engine cold-start;
• passing the exhaust emission through a three-way catalyst, wherein the three-way catalyst has not reached a light-off temperature, thereby producing a three-way catalyst emission;
• passing the three-way catalyst emission from the three-way catalyst to a particulate filter on the exhaust line, thereby producing a particulate filter emission;
• passing the particulate filter emission to a sorbent unit comprising a first sorbent, a second sorbent, and a third sorbent arranged in series to produce an untreated and filtered emission, wherein the first sorbent, the second sorbent, and the third sorbent comprise an adsorbent material selected from the group consisting of a zeolite, activated carbon, and combinations thereof;
• and
• adsorbing one or more gases from the untreated and filtered emission in the sorbent unit, thereby producing an adsorbed emission.