New Report by EPA Details Cost-Effectiveness of Diesel Retrofits

The EPA has released "Diesel Retrofit Technology: An Analysis of the Cost Effectiveness of Reducing Particulate Matter and Nitrogen Oxides Emissions from Heavy-Duty Nonroad Diesel Engines Through Retrofits." Available online as a 17-page PDF, the report discusses retrofit options, how they can be a cost-effective strategy for off-road diesel vehicles in reducing emissions, and estimates for various retrofit scenarios.

From the report:
Retrofit projects can begin producing emission reductions immediately and can help State and local governments reduce emissions of PM2.5, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the near term. Retrofits include a wide range of emission reduction strategies available for diesel vehicles and equipment, including:

• Retrofitting engines with verified technologies
• Using cleaner fuels
• Replacing older equipment
• Repowering (replacing old engines with new, cleaner engines
• Reducing idling
• Properly maintaining equipment
• Gaining operational efficiencies

Retrofit technologies are advancing at a rapid pace. The use of established technologies, such as diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) and diesel particulate filters (DPFs), continues to grow exponentially, while new, emerging technologies such as Lean NOx (LNC) catalysts, are steadily improving. Retrofit technologies often vary in the type of pollutant reduced. DOCs and DPFs remove PM from the exhaust, but do not reduce NOx. However, DOCs or DPFs can be combined with a NOx reduction strategy – such as a cleaner fuel – to enhance the emission reduction benefits.

See the Source:
EPA Report

Find out:
More on diesel particulate filters for off-road vehicles such as construction and mining equipment.

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Dirty Trucks Must Clean Up Their Act in B.C.

British Columbia will become the first province in Canada to make diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) mandatory on older heavy-duty trucks. This means that nearly 8,000 trucks built between 1989 and 1993 must be retrofitted with special diesel filters by 2009. Newer EPA-mandated trucks built in 2002 as well as this year, virtually eliminate smog-inducing emissions like particulate matter and NOx.

The diesel trucks, says Canada's Environment Minister Barry Penner, are among the worst culprits on the road for emitting a disproportionate amount of particulate matter (PM), which is said to cause respiratory diseases.

“It will have an immediate and tangible benefit,” said Penner. “This will take up to 60 tons per year of particulate matter out of the air we breathe.”

The Canadian government estimates that one older diesel truck emits as much PM as 60 new trucks.

Catalysts to retrofit the vehicles will cost between $1,200 and $2,500 per truck, and are expected to reduce total emissions of PM by up to 3.4 percent and total emissions by nearly half, especially if the rigs use ultra low-sulfur diesel or bio-diesel blends.

Buses and construction equipment are exempt from the requirement for now. DOC retrofits are also planned for government vehicles such as ambulances and school buses.

The order won’t affect RVs, pickup trucks, construction equipment and unlicensed off-road vehicles.

See the Source:
Today’s Trucking Online

Find out:
More on diesel oxidation catalysts to reduce emissions on diesel heavy-duty trucks.

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