TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The catalyst further comprises an alkali metal compound added to the modified inorganic oxide support. The catalyst is in the form of a washcoat composition deposited on a honeycomb monolith. Preferred Components: The platinum group metal is selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and iridium. The platinum group metal is present in amounts of 0.1-10 wt.% based on the inorganic oxide support. The oxide support is modified by adding the additive 1-20 wt.% relative to the inorganic oxide support. The inorganic oxide support is further modified by addition of a rare earth oxide. The rare earth oxide is present in amounts of 2-20 wt.% relative to the inorganic oxide support. The inorganic oxide support is alumina. The rare earth oxide is selected from praseodymium and neodymium oxide. The catalyst further contains an alkali metal component comprising lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), or cesium (Cs). The alkali metal component is present in amounts of 0.2-15 wt.% as metal relative to the alumina support.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The burn-out additive selected from sugars, starches, lignin, grain flour, wood flour, and polymers. The additive is wood flour. EXAMPLE - Cerium-modified alumina support material was prepared by impregnating aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder with aqueous solution of cerium nitrate hexahydrate, which was followed by drying for 4 hours at 120 degrees C in air and calcining for 2 hours at 450 degrees C in air. The obtained cerium-modified alumina support material contained neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) (5 wt.%) relative to Al2O3. The support material was further impregnated with platinum amine salt, dried at 120 degrees C and calcined at 500 degrees C such that the resulting catalyst contained platinum (3 wt.%) relative to the weight of the support material. The catalyst (0.75 g) was loaded into a laboratory flow reactor and heated up to 350 degrees C in the flowing feed gas. The catalyst initiated the water-gas shift reaction and continuously tested for 20 hours. The catalytic performance was tested for the aging rate. The aging rate for cerium was 800 parts per million/hour.