Ammonia creation and conversion technology cleans up diesel

In an era of increasingly strict emissions regulation, ammonia creation and conversion technology (ACCT) extends the operation of selective catalytic reduction systems to low-temperature exhaust conditions

Collaborate To Innovate 2017

Category: Transportation

Winner: Emissions technology for cleaner diesel engines

Partners: Loughborough University; Caterpillar; Energy Technologies Institute; Johnson Matthey

The toxic cocktail of tailpipe emissions has been closely regulated since 1993, when the EU introduced Euro 1, a set of mandatory standards designed to put OEMs on the road to cleaner vehicles. In the space of 24 years, increasingly stringent standards have led to reductions in the permissible limits for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), while ongoing efforts seek to further reduce their impact.

At a regional level, London is seeking to redress the situation with the introduction of a T-Charge (or Emissions Surcharge), which requires drivers of pre-Euro 4 cars to pay £10 to travel to the city’s central zone. According to the Mayor of London’s office, 7.9 million Londoners – nearly 95 per cent of the population – live in areas exceeding the World Health Organization guidelines on toxic air quality particles (PM2.5), and air pollution contributes to thousands of premature deaths in the capital each year.