PMV Middle East – August 2019

COVER STORY

21

http://www.pmvmiddleeast.com AUGUST 2019 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLES

acid rain, ground-level ozone, secondary fi ne

particulate matter (PM2.5), and respiratory

diseases in humans.

A study conducted by the International

Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in

collaboration with the University of Colorado,

Stockholm Environment Institute, and the

International Institute for Applied Systems

Analysis, found that air pollution from diesel

NOx emissions caused 107,600 early deaths

worldwide in 2015. Heavy-duty vehicles such

as commercial trucks and buses were by far

the largest contributor worldwide, accounting

for 76% of the total excess NOx emissions.

At a global level, the study projects that the

impact of all real-world diesel NOx emissions

will grow to 183,600 early deaths in 2040.

The study recommends that the single most

important action to reduce the health impacts

of excess diesel NOx emissions is for countries

to implement and properly enforce a Euro VI

tailpipe emission standard for heavy-duty

vehicles.

Does this mean that the diesel engine is the

culprit and that the answer to an emissions-

free future would be to replace diesel engines

with petrol engines because diesel produces

more NOx than gasoline? There is no easy

solution to this problem because the challenge

lies in reducing CO2 and pollutants at the

same time, and such measures are limited

by the fact that an attempt to decrease CO2

causes an increase in pollutant emissions. A

car engine running at high temperature tends

to emit less CO2 but more NOx, and a lower

engine temperature will result in more CO2

but less NOx.

For decades, consumers in Europe favoured

diesel vehicles over petrol because of their

lower carbon emissions, but it came at the

cost of early deaths due to higher NOx

emissions, as mentioned above. When they

decided to switch to petrol engines, CO2

emissions began to increase. The European

Environment Agency (EEA) reported

that CO2 emissions from new cars in the

European Union (EU) have been increasing

since 2017, after steadily declining during

2010–2016. For the fi rst time, the average

CO2 emissions from new vans also increased

in 2018. Coincidentally, the number of new

registrations of gasoline cars, SUVs and vans

increased during these two years.

According to the European Automobile

Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA),

signifi cant improvements in automotive

technology have helped vehicle manufacturers

cut both pollutant and CO2 emissions,

signifi cantly. Such technological

advancements include improvements to

N

itrogen oxides (NOx) is a family
of air pollutants, namely, Nitric
Oxide (NO) and Nitrogen Dioxide
(NO2) emitted from on-road and
off -road vehicles and power plants as a result
of fuel combustion at high temperatures.
These pollutants are responsible for smog,