University of Houston Receives $8.8M State Grant for Emissions Testing Equipment

11 March 2008

The University of Houston (UH) has received an $8.8 million grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to purchase a portable emission testing system and a heavy-duty engine dynamometer. The TCEQ grant will enable the UH facility to test technologies that should reduce nitrogen oxides emissions by more than 80% in an effort to comply with federal air quality guidelines.

Since 2002, the Texas Diesel Testing and Research Center has developed and tested emissions-reducing technologies to help reduce NO_x emissions from city-owned vehicles. The facility tested two promising technologies for the city of Houston’s diesel fleet, but found that neither technology achieved the levels the city was looking for to reduce NO_x emissions. The facility is now working with the city to improve the two tested technologies and to evaluate additional technologies for the city of Houston and Texas.

The UH center is one of only a handful in the nation that is capable of testing heavy-duty diesel vehicles, which is key to determining if technologies work in real-world conditions.

The Texas Diesel Testing and Research Center will provide laboratory space for third-party companies from around the state to test their technologies for reducing emissions. The initial grant of $8.8 million provides funding through August 2009, with an additional $1.5 million possible in future funding for researching, developing and demonstrating emerging technologies.