Diesel Emission--New product to clean up diesel emissions

New Zealand fertiliser company Ballance Agri-Nutrients is launching a product that helps diesel trucks cut emissions

GoClear is a solution using pure urea that sits in a small tank and is injected into the exhaust system where it reacts with gases as they pass through a converter.

Ballance says it can reduce emissions by between 70 and 90% for a typical diesel truck by converting nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and water vapour.

Every tonne of nitrogen oxides reduced in the atmosphere was the equivalent of about 298 tonnes of carbon dioxide, said Ballance chief executive Larry Bilodeau.

About one-third of nitrogen oxides emissions came from diesel engines.

"If we can reduce this by between 70 and 90 per cent, that's a big impact."

An increasing number of trucks were using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, including some vehicles made by Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Iveco and Mack.

Ballance said new and used trucks coming into the country would have to meet Euro 5 emission standards from January 1 and bigger trucks would have to use SCR technology to meet this. There was a market for about 750,000 litres of fuel - initially about $500,000 in sales a year - which was expected to grow by 30% annually during the next few years to $3 million to $5 million, Bilodeau said.

"It'll apply to new trucks as they come in so the market will grow as the old trucks get replaced and new ones come in."

The SCR technology cannot be retro-fitted to trucks.

The urea is sourced from Ballance's Kapuni plant, and GoClear will be launched tomorrow.

Source: News on Deals