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Urea to be utilized more in on-road diesel engines
9.23.2008
By Carol Kinsley
Staff Writer
New emissions requirements coming for on-road diesel engines may impact farmers both directly and indirectly in the next couple of years.
Major changes in diesel engines in 2007 allowed the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel in on-road trucks and were followed by additional reductions in sulfur limits for other diesel uses — off-road, locomotive and marine.
In 2010, the EPA is further reducing allowable emissions from on-road diesels, so much so that engine manufacturers are going to have to make modifications to meet those requirements.
New engines will make use of a new technology called Selective Catalytic Reduction, or SCR, which allows more efficient engine operation. This move toward cleaner emissions will require the use of urea to treat diesel exhaust fluid, said Brandon Wright of the Petroleum Marketers’ Association of America (PMAA). The urea destroys the harmful nitrous oxides.
Truckers will have to add urea, which will be in liquid form, Wright said. It will likely be dispensed from a pump as is diesel fuel, or in 2 liter bottles.
“We’re still working on the distribution phase,” Wright added. The liquid can be frozen, thawed and brought back to liquid form without damaging the properties of urea. It cannot be dispensed in frozen form.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is working to educate folks on what all this means, he said.
API is addressing the handling, permitting and quality assurance of urea, Wright said.
“That’s where we are now in the process. The need for urea is not expected to show up for 18 to 24 months as we work through these things.
“This is new to the United States. We are looking to Europe and how they handle urea storage and distribution, and how we can adapt that to our economy and distribution network.”
Wright said PMAA and all stake-holders are part of a steering committee which “will make sure that anything coming out of this is suitable.”
Wright said he expects the new technology will apply only to engines using on-road diesel fuel. If farmers need urea for trucks that haul grain, for example, they may have options to store liquid urea on the farm in a tote or may go with a supply of bottles.
“It all will depend on the engine manufacturers,” he said.
If farmers plan to purchase a new, big truck, they should be aware that there is only one manufacturer, Navistar, which does not plan to add SCRs to their 2010 line of engines.
The addition of urea is a more significant issue for people who own and operate retail gas stations, Wright said.
However, he added that the additional demand for urea could increase the price of urea fertilizer for farmers. It is uncertain whether production of urea could be boosted quickly to meet demand.