Apparatus for the purification of exhaust gas from diesel motors

An apparatus for cleaning diesel engine exhaust gases containing soot particulates and other pollutants, comprising:

• exhaust conduit means for transporting diesel engine exhaust;
• a housing located in said exhaust conduit means;
• a filter system installed within an interior of said housing, said filter system including a series of filter elements wherein said series of filter elements includes at least one first filter element, said at least one first filter element carrying a first catalyst material that lowers the ignition temperature and assists in the burn off of solid soot particulates filtered out of the exhaust gases travelling in said exhaust conduit means;
• at least one second filter element, said at least one second filter element carrying a second catalyst material which enhances the combustion of gaseous pollutants travelling in the exhaust conduit means, said first and second catalyst materials having separate and distinct compositions;
• and said at least one first filter element and said at least one second filter element being arranged in a sequence which ensures that one filter element carrying one of the two distinct catalyst material compositions is between a pair of filter elements carrying the other of the two distinct catalyst material compositions.