Warrenville, Ill.-Chicago truck and engine maker Navistar Inc. appears to be hedging its bets on the future of its EGR technology meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-mandated diesel truck emissions reductions by acquiring an interest in a Danish technology company that has an ammonia-based system similar to selective catalytic reduction. Navistar has entered into a long-term agreement with Amminex to gain access to its ammonia storage and delivery system for NOx emissions control. Industry observers say unlike the way SCR uses diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), the Amminex AdAmmine system has crystallized salt ammonium stored in a cartridge that is heated to create “on-demand” ammonia in the catalyst, triggering the same NOx conversion as with DEF. The cartridge would be replaced at every oil change. Navistar insists this makes the Amminex technology more customer-friendly and is a tool that its engineers will use to explore exhaust gas NOx reduction for specific applications. “Our in-cylinder approach with MaxxForce Advanced EGR technology remains our prime path to achieve a tailpipe emissions compliance level of 0.2 NOx,” said Jack Allen, president, Navistar’s North American Truck Group. “The Amminex technology fits perfectly into our Advanced EGR prime path ?Çô assuring that the responsibility of emissions compliance remains with the OEM and eliminating the need for customers and third parties to invest in a new infrastructure for liquid urea.” Amminex reports that it is currently conducting joint development programs with several leading automotive companies, and that the Amminex ASDS is considered a viable technology. “It is a major breakthrough for Amminex that a global player like Navistar has decided to implement the system in series production,” says Jens Hinnerskov, CEO of Amminex.
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