SCR * USA & Europe - AdBlue manufacturers warn of incorrect use

* Europe - Dangers of certain derivations observed since the introduction of the SCR systems

Brussels,Belgium -Fleet Europe, by Claude Yvens -18 Feb 2011: -- In a first of its type, the six main producers of AdBlue (Air1, BASF, Borealis, GPN, Greenchem and SKW) are to apply a common approach to launch a communications campaign with the support of European manufacturers (via their representative association ACEA). They wish to advise fleet operators of the dangers of certain derivations observed since the introduction of the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems in 2006:

- the deliberate choice of a product which does not meet AdBlue norms

- storage in containers which have previously held diesel or other chemical products

- mixture of AdBlue and diesel in the fuel tank

This incorrect use of the product can cause irreparable damage to the engine and, in certain cases, lead to all guarantees on the vehicle becoming nullified...

* USA - DEF availability up while cost is down, says research firm

(Photo: Pilot Travel Centers operate the largest number of DEF pumps in the U.S.)

New York,NY,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Feb 25, 2011: -- One of the concerns among trucking companies buying commercial trucks equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology revolves around easy access to a critical ingredient required by this emission control system to reduce exhaust pollution down to government mandated levels: DEF, short for “diesel exhaust fluid” ... DEF is a liquid solution comprised of 67.5% de-ionized water and 32.5% urea, an ammonia compound, that’s sprayed into an SCR-equipped truck’s exhaust stream where it combines with a catalyst to break down oxides of nitrogen (NOx) into nitrogen and water. Without DEF, then, the SCR system doesn’t reduce NOx emissions... Yet ongoing surveys of the U.S. and Canadian transportation markets by global consulting firm Integer Research finds that DEF availability is rapidly expanding, while the cost for this critical substance is dropping as well... He also noted that the ”pump price” of DEF per gallon has declined steadily since last year, which is important as the lower the cost of DEF becomes, the lower the overall price of operating an SCR-equipped vehicle becomes – particularly in the face of rising diesel fuel costs...