LSB Industries Inc. said Oct. 6 that its Cherokee Nitrogen Co. subsidiary has signed a long-term agreement with Yara North America Inc. to supply Yara with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), which will be produced at Cherokee Nitrogen’s chemical manufacturing facility in Cherokee, Ala. DEF is an exhaust system additive and scrubbing agent used to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel engines. DEF breaks the NOx down into harmless components of water vapor and nitrogen gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has enacted emissions standards that will become effective in 2010 and require the reduction of NOx emissions.
LSB said its Earthpure DEFTM meets the stringent quality requirements of the American Petroleum Institute and significantly reduces NOx emissions. It is anticipated that Earthpure DEF?äó will be available in January 2010 and will be marketed under the Yara brand name Air1.
“Cherokee Nitrogen has chosen to team with Yara, combining its manufacturing expertise and U.S. based production with Yara’s global experience in the DEF markets,” said Jack Golsen, LSB’s board chairman and CEO. “We are pleased to announce our entry into this new value-added business which expands our presence in the industrial sector with this high purity urea solution. Yara’s experience in the DEF market in Europe, Asia and Australia should prove invaluable in establishing and building the market for Cherokee Nitrogen’s product in the U.S. Earthpure DEFTM is a natural extension of our other environmentally beneficial products. Our Chemical Business also produces NOx abatement chemicals for power plants, and our Climate Control Business produces a wide range of energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating and cooling products, including geothermal heat pumps.”