The first plant in the Middle East for producing urea – a chemical used by many new trucks to reduce soot emissions – has been opened in the Al Qusais industrial area of Dubai on Thursday.
Urea, more commonly known by the trade name AdBlue, is used by most manufacturers of modern diesel trucks to prevent toxic nitrogen dioxide as well as carcinogenic soot particles from being emitted by the vehicle’s exhaust.
The fluid is carried in a tank separate from the main fuel supply, and is injected directly into the catalytic converter. Toxins can be reduced by as much as 95% in some applications.
Although a urea tank is standard on most modern commercial vehicles, until now there has been nowhere to source the liquid locally. While not having it does not affect the function of the vehicle, the emissions will be far more dirty without it.
“AdBlue is a clear, non-toxic solution of a chemical,” explained Mattias Kruse, CEO of Kruse Group, which manufactures the product under license. “It is safe to handle and it doesn’t affect the environment.”
Kruse Group, along with local partner Zenath Group, has already agreed to supply the RTA’s fleet of more than 600 buses with the fluid. “Over a twenty-year bus life cycle, this amounts to a significant reduction just from this one fleet,” Kruse concluded.
