Sugar Producer

August/September 2010

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n Tier 4 Interim: Final Emissions Growing Concern Tier 4 Interim & Final Emissions We are getting closer to Tier 4 In- terim (2011) and Tier 4 Final (2012) emis- sions. Engine operation and fuel consump- tion will be a growing concern. Please take the time to read what the EPA’s goal is for us in North America and the dates we need to get there by. OVERVIEW In 1990, the U.S. Congress and President Bush signed the Clean Air Act Amend- ments, which authorized the (EPA) to regulate exhaust emissions from new non- road engines. The clean air goals included the following: 1) Reduce ozone by controlling NOx and HC; 2) Reduce acid rain by controlling NOx and sulfur dioxide; 3) Improve air quality. The U.S. EPA, the European Union (EU), and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) in Japan imple- mented two separate standards for diesel engine emissions: one for on-highway truck engines and another for non-road engines (including marine and locomotive engines). Initially, the on-highway standards were the more aggressive of the two, based on the high volume of trucks contributing the greater amount of emissions, especially in urban areas. Over time, however, the two standards began to converge. The non-road standards have been phas- ing in over a number of years, gradually reducing the legal levels of emissions for various sizes of diesel engines. In the U.S. these phases are identified as Tier 1–Tier 4. In the EU they are identified as Stage I– Stage IV. In Japan, they are identified as MLIT Step 1–MLIT Step 4. This course will focus on the EPA and EU regulations. DEFINITION Internal combustion engines emit four ma- jor types of emissions: oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter (PM), hydro- carbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). The regulatory focus has historically been on NOx and PM, which are often inversely related. If NOx levels are reduced, PM levels generally increase and vice versa. Particulate Matter (PM) Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of solids and liquids found in the air that may 14 Sugar Producer AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

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