The German government and the EU Commission reached agreement on the inclusion of internal combustion engines fueled by CO2-neutral fuels—eFuels—late Friday evening. The agreement clears the way for the adoption of the 100% zero emissions limits for 2035. (Earlier post.) Early in March, Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker... Read more →
A study by MathPro Inc., prepared for the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), has found that hydrotreating is an inexpensive approach to produce near-zero naphthalenes petroleum jet fuel (PJF) for contrail abatement. The report estimates an incremental cost of 0.09 to 0.12 USD/gallon (~€0.03/L) to hydrotreat fossil jet fuel... Read more →
The results of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy demand of the cars tested by Green NCAP in 2022 show that the current and continuous trend towards larger and heavier cars, significantly increases the negative impact on climate and energy demand. This drives not... Read more →
Based on comparison tests between a Tesla Model Y and Kia Niro full hybrid, independent emissions testing company Emissions Analytics (earlier post) is suggesting that at present full hybrids are the win-win, do-no-harm option for decarbonizing transportation, while BEVs are a win-lose option, hampered by a “vexatious” trade-off between CO2... Read more →
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced a $156-million funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002997) that will advance high impact applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the US industrial sector. In 2020, the industrial sector accounted for 33%... Read more →
ASTM International is hosting a Workshop on PFAS in Atmosphere – Sources, Sampling, and Standards, to be held 1-2 November 2023, in Washington, DC. The event is sponsored by ASTM International’s air quality committee (D22) and will be held in conjunction with the committee’s November standards development meetings. Per- and... Read more →
A new briefing paper from Imperial College London estimates that in 2021, 52% of all small particle pollution from road transport came from tires and brakes. The researchers, from Imperial College London’s Transition to Zero Pollution (TZP) initiative, warn that even though electric vehicles remove the problem of fuel emissions,... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research This post provides calculations of the approximate energy and environmental costs for flying ultralong distances nonstop against strong headwinds. The calculations were performed on flights in both directions between New York (JFK) and Auckland (AKL)—one of the longest current nonstop routes. (The distance between... Read more →
The US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) announced up to $10 million in funding to develop new technologies and tools to reduce the environmental impact of aviation. The funding, part of the ARPA-E broad Exploratory Topics FOA, is for the Predictive Real-time Emissions Technologies Reducing... Read more →
SK Inc. Materials and ExxonMobil signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) for SK Inc. Materials to pursue the offtake of blue ammonia from ExxonMobil’s planned low-carbon hydrogen project at its integrated complex in Baytown, Texas. SK seeks to import blue ammonia produced from ExxonMobil to South Korea in support of... Read more →
The BMW Group intends to source aluminum with significantly reduced CO2 emissions from Rio Tinto’s hydro-powered operations in Canada starting in 2024 and has signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. Compared to conventionally manufactured aluminum, this approach can save around 70% of CO2 emissions. The planned supply volumes... Read more →
Nippon Steel Corporation and Canada-based Teck Resources Limited, the second largest producer of high-quality steelmaking coal in the world, have executed an investment agreement with certain other affiliates of each of Nippon Steel and Teck, pursuant to which Nippon Steel has agreed to acquire indirectly up to 10% of common... Read more →
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state will initiate the process to adopt Advanced Clean Cars II. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will begin considering the potential adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation implemented by the California Air Resources Board. If adopted,... Read more →
The European Parliament approved the new CO2 emissions reduction targets for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, part of the “Fit for 55” package. With 340 votes in favor, 279 against and 21 abstentions, MEPs endorsed the deal reached with the Council on revised CO2 emission performance standards for... Read more →
United States Steel Corporation will supply General Motors with its advanced and sustainable steel solution called verdeX steel. The steel is manufactured with up to 75% fewer emissions compared to traditional blast furnace production[1], is made with up to 90% recycled content, and is endlessly recyclable without degradation. verdeX production... Read more →
The European Commission has proposed new CO2 emissions targets for new heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) from 2030 onwards. The Commission proposes phasing in stronger CO2 emissions standards for almost all new HDVs with certified CO2 emissions, compared to 2019 levels, specifically: 45% emissions reductions from 2030; 65% emission reductions from 2035;... Read more →
Polestar and Rivia have collaborated on a ‘Pathway Report’ which concludes that the automotive industry is set to overshoot the IPCC’s 1.5-degree pathway by at least 75% by 2050. The report, which uses existing, open-source data to model the current trajectory for emissions stemming from the car industry, was carried... Read more →
Testing by TU Graz, commissioned by environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), has found that the newest generation of PHEVs emit significantly more CO2 than claimed on city and commuter routes. Two years ago, T&E found the technology polluted significantly more than advertised on longer routes. The NGP says the... Read more →
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched a £110-million (US$133-million) scrappage scheme to support Londoners on lower incomes, disabled Londoners, charities, sole traders and business with 10 or fewer employees to replace or retrofit their old, polluting vehicles in order to be ULEZ compliant. In November 2022, Mayor Kahn announced... Read more →
Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of modern powertrain technologies and electric mobility solutions, has joined the Polestar 0 project, an initiative to create the world’s first completely climate-neutral vehicle. (Earlier post.) Vitesco Technologies has been selected as a collaboration partner to develop the power electronics with the target to... Read more →
The EU project HyInHeat is researching the use of hydrogen in the aluminum and steel industry. The EU is contributing €17.7 million in funding to the €24-million project. The main objective of HyInHeat is the integration of hydrogen as fuel for high-temperature heating processes in the energy-intensive industries. While some... Read more →
Researchers from the University of Birmingham have designed a novel adaptation for existing blast furnaces that could reduce CO2 emissions from the steelmaking industry by nearly 90%. This reduction is achieved through a closed-loop carbon recycling system, which could replace 90% of the coke typically used in current blast furnace-basic... Read more →
Cornell engineers have developed machine learning models to simplify and reinforce models to calculate the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) contained in urban air pollution. Described in a paper in the journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, the modeling approach has low data requirements and is computationally efficient. Previous... Read more →
In the future, the energy needed to run the powerful computers on board a global fleet of autonomous vehicles could generate as many greenhouse gas emissions as all the data centers in the world today, according to a new study from MIT researchers that explored the potential energy consumption and... Read more →
Aluminum plays a key role in reducing the weight of a car and thus also helps to reduce fuel consumption. A modern car contains large amounts of aluminum and use of the metal is on the increase. It is thus important to exploit the material as optimally as possible, and... Read more →
Toyota Motor North America recently entered into an agreement with environmental tech nonprofit WattTime to provide certain health and environmental impact data to Toyota and Lexus customers with eligible vehicles to enable them to find ideal charging times to reduce emissions when charging at home. By using this data to... Read more →
ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products and Gonvarri Industries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate more closely on reducing CO2 emissions and strengthening both companies’ sustainability performance in the automotive market. Gonvarri Industries is a leading company in flat steel processing with annual production of around 5 million tonnes... Read more →
The year 2022 was marked by the emergence of longer-term economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and an unexpected war in Eastern Europe that caused turmoil in energy markets. Despite efforts to continue stimulating the US economy in the wake of the pandemic, high inflation put a damper on economic... Read more →
The Health Effects Institute (HEI) has launched two new studies funded under RFA 21-1, Quantifying Real-World Impacts of Non-Tailpipe Particulate Matter Emissions. Emissions from automobile exhaust systems have decreased in recent years due to the introduction of cleaner fuels and new control technologies on internal combustion engines, as well as... Read more →
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to to revise the primary (health-based) annual PM2.5 standard from its current level of 12.0 µg/m3 to within the range of 9.0 to 10.0 µg/m3. EPA is taking comment on the full range (between 8 and 11 10 µg/m3) included in... Read more →
Norwegian startup Blastr Green Steel is planning to establish a green steel plant with an integrated hydrogen production facility in Inkoo, Finland. Blastr has entered into a Letter of Intent with Nordic energy company Fortum that provides Blastr exclusive rights to utilize the existing industrial site located in Joddböle, Inkoo... Read more →
California’s Truck and Bus regulation (earlier post) has been in effect since December 2008, with the purpose of reducing emissions of diesel particulate matter (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other criteria pollutants from in-use diesel-fueled vehicles. Under the regulation, 1 January 2023 marked the final deadline to replace or... Read more →
Researchers at the University of Vienna (Austria) have demonstrated that tire wear particle (TWP)-derived compounds are readily taken up by lettuce with measured maximum leaf concentrations between ∼0.75 for N-phenyl-N′-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and 20 μg g–1 for hexamethoxymethyl melamine (HMMM). In an open-access paper in the ACS journal Environmental Science &... Read more →
In February 2022, GTI Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) launched the Open Hydrogen Initiative (OHI), a collaboration to further transparency into the environmental impact of hydrogen production and help unlock its full potential as an important driver of energy transitions. According to S&P... Read more →
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized more stringent NOx emissions limits for model year 2027 and later heavy-duty engines and vehicles. Relative to current rules, the new standards are more than 80% stronger, increase useful life of governed vehicles by 1.5–2.5 times, and will yield emissions warranties that are... Read more →
Ascension Clean Energy (ACE), a joint venture led by Clean Hydrogen Works (CHW), selected Topsoe to provide licensing, engineering, proprietary hardware, and catalyst for its planned world-scale clean energy production and export facility in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. The projected $7.5-billion project is expected to produce 7.2 million metric tons of... Read more →
The Dürr Group is delivering technology for the sustainable manufacture of lithium-ion batteries to be used in CATL’s plant that is currently being built in Arnstadt, Germany. The order comprises several systems based on an eco-friendly process for solvent recovery in production. This prevents tens of thousands of tons of... Read more →
Mercedes-Benz will collaborate with Norwegian aluminum producer Hydro to reduce significantly the CO₂ footprint of aluminum in the automotive supply chain. Hydro and Mercedes-Benz will from 2023 to 2030 collaborate on a joint technology roadmap aiming to develop aluminium solutions approved for automotive applications with a CO2 footprint below 3.0... Read more →
A well-known automaker has placed an order with Rheinmetall Group subsidiary Pierburg for exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) modules, with a lifetime value of around €300 million. The order encompasses low- and high-pressure EGR modules. In the low-pressure loop, these are water-cooled poppet valves. In the high-pressure loop, EGR modules with... Read more →
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual Automotive Trends Report, which shows that model year (MY) 2021 vehicle fuel economy remained at a record high—but flat with MY 2020 fuel economy—while CO2 emission levels reached a new record low. The report also shows all 14 large automotive manufacturers... Read more →
Nucor Corporation, a North American manufacturer of steel and steel products, has made an equity investment in Electra, a Colorado-based start-up developing a process to produce carbon-free iron that can be used to make steel. Electra uses renewable energy to refine low-grade iron ores into high-purity iron through electrochemical and... Read more →
Mercedes-Benz Vans, together with Austrian Post, is testing fine particle filter technology developed in cooperation with MANN+HUMMEL in real-life operations. In August, two eSprinter operated by Austrian Post (Österreichische Post), the country’s major provider of postal services, were equipped with integrated fine particle filters in the front module. Since then,... Read more →
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) (earlier post) London-wide. The expansion will come into effect on 29 August 2023 and will operate across all London boroughs up to the existing Low Emission Zone boundary for large and heavy vehicles. On 8 April... Read more →
Aral is piloting two new fuels in Germany: Aral Futura Super 95 and Aral Futura Diesel. Both fuels reduce CO2 emissions compared to pure fossil fuels by at least 25% and contain at least 30% of high-quality renewable components, including a significant share of advanced renewable components. They are now... Read more →
Rio Tinto has shown the effectiveness of a low-carbon iron-making process using ores from its mines in Australia in a small-scale pilot plant in Germany, and is now planning the development of a larger-scale pilot plant to further assess its potential to help decarbonize the steel value chain. The process,... Read more →
Rolls-Royce has successfully entered the final phase of testing it’s ALECSys (Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System) demonstrator engine, this time at altitude. (Earlier post.) The demonstrator took to the skies attached to the Rolls-Royce Boeing 747 Flying Test Bed in Tucson, Arizona. The test program has included flights up to... Read more →
The California Air Resources Board approved a $2.6-billion investment plan to support the transition to zero-emission transportation. Supported projects range from incentives for cleaner trucks and buses, and mobility options such as bike- and car-sharing, to consumer rebates for clean cars. This year’s investment dollars focus largely on underserved communities,... Read more →
Following initial contracts with European suppliers, the BMW Group has now concluded further agreements for the supply of CO2-reduced steel in the US and China. In the medium-term, the BMW Group will increase CO2 savings through agreements with additional steel suppliers and thus consistently drive forward the decarbonization of its... Read more →
The Global Carbon Project (GCP) published its annual analysis of trends in the global carbon cycle in the journal Earth System Science Data, including an updated full-year projection for 2022. Global fossil CO2 emissions are expected to grow 1.0% (with an uncertainty range of 0.1% to 1.9%) in 2022 as... Read more →
The European Commission presented its proposal for Euro 7 standards to reduce air pollution from new motor vehicles sold in the EU. While CO2 emission rules will drive the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, it is important to ensure that all vehicles on European roads are much cleaner, the EC said.... Read more →