Exhaust gas purification method and exhaust gas purification apparatus

An exhaust gas purification apparatus arranging in an engine exhaust passage a particulate filter for removing particulate in exhaust gas discharged from a combustion chamber, said particulate filter able to remove by oxidation any particulate in exhaust gas flowing into the particulate filter without emitting a luminous flame, said apparatus comprising:

• a calculating means for calculating an amount of particulate that can be removed by oxidation on the particulate filter per unit time without emitting a luminous flame, and
• a control means for controlling at least one of the amount of discharged particulate or the amount of particulate removable by oxidation so that when an amount of the discharged particulate discharged from the combustion chamber per unit time is smaller than said amount of particulate removable by oxidation on the particulate filter per unit time, said filter removes said particulate removable by oxidation without emitting a luminous flame, and when the amount of discharged particulate exceeds said amount of particulate removable by oxidation the amount of discharged particulate becomes less than said amount of particulate removable by oxidation.