Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks, a member of the Volvo Group, plan to use selective catalytic reduction to achieve 2010’s rigorous standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides, the companies announced Wednesday, June 28.
SCR involves injecting a water-based solution containing urea into the hot exhaust stream. The urea, in conjunction with a catalyst in the exhaust aftertreatment system, breaks down the NOx into harmless nitrogen and water vapor. Urea, an organic nitrogen-containing compound commonly used in agriculture as a fertilizer, is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a non-hazardous substance.
Volvo and Mack will include exhaust gas recirculation technology, introduced with the 2002 engines, to meet 2010 standards. They also will continue to use the diesel particulate filters that are being introduced with the 2007 engines; the required particulate matter emissions levels remain the same for 2010. The 2010 regulations call for NOx emissions levels to be reduced more than 80 percent from the standard that takes effect in January 2007.
Volvo draws upon the Volvo Group’s extensive experience with SCR in Europe, where the technology is used to meet the Euro 4 emissions regulations. That experience includes more than 23 million test miles, as well as production for regular use by customers beginning this year. Volvo Trucks North America also has had customer field tests of SCR-equipped trucks since 2003.
“Our experience shows that this is the best technology to reduce NOx emissions to extremely low levels, while delivering the fuel economy, reliability and performance our customers demand,” says Peter Karlsten, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Trucks North America. “Volvo is committed to working with the EPA, urea producers and distributors, and other stakeholders to ensure that everything is in place prior to 2010 for SCR.”
The base engines for Mack’s 2010 solution will be its MP series, which utilize what the company calls High-Performance Exhaust Gas Recirculation to meet current and 2007 NOx standards. “We’re confident that the combination of HEGR and SCR is the best choice for our customers,” says Mack President and CEO Paul Vikner, who added that Mack has been running SCR systems on prototype trucks successfully since 2000, logging more than 2 million miles on 10 customer vehicles.
Freightliner last year announced its engines supplied by other Daimler-Benz units, Detroit Diesel and Mercedes-Benz, will use SCR for 2010.
