A new concept for a self-cleaning household oven

The present work has the aim of developing an oven wall, which offers self-cleaning properties, via catalytically enhanced thermal oxidation of soiling materials at temperatures within the available range of standard household ovens. The catalytic combustion of solid food soils, using CeO2 in powder form in a pilot plant, has confirmed the possibility of reducing the operation temperature by about 100–150 °C compared to non-catalytic oxidation and, at the same time, of diminishing CO emissions. After having studied different CeO2 deposition techniques over a standard enamel, the best catalytic activity was obtained using the urea method, which yields both high dispersion and good adhesion of the catalyst over the support. It has been confirmed, by means of gravimetric tests that, if such a catalyzed enamel is used, it is possible to achieve a temperature reduction from 550 °C (typical of a commercial pyrolytic oven) to a lower temperature of around 400–450 °C in the self-cleaning step, through a new catalytic oven concept.