You may have noticed bottles of AdBlue neatly stacked up on petrol station forecourts across the country. But do you actually know what Ablue is used for? Or better yet, why we use Ablue in the first place or what Adblue is made from? We, at Rix, get asked these questions quite a lot, so we've put this blog together to help explain.
It’s no secret that traditional diesel engines produce a range of harmful air pollutants.
Nitrogen Oxide and Nitrogen Dioxide are the two most problematic emissions associated with diesel vehicles as they contribute to smog and acid rain.
Yet despite the ban on new petrol and diesel cars due to come into force in 2040, the industry has for some time been taking steps to tackle the issues surrounding diesel emissions. One of the ways it does this is with Adblue.
AdBlue is a urea solution formulated to work with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. SCR is designed to remove the most polluting oxides from diesel exhaust emissions and it uses AdBlue to achieve that.
AdBlue is essentially liquid urea (yes, pretty much the same substance as urine) It is made up of 67.5 per cent ionised water and 32.5 per cent urea. When it gets hot, when the engine heats up, it releases ammonia which acts as the catalyst for a chemical reaction that converts Nitrogen Oxide into water and nitrogen – two completely harmless substances.
These are then expelled as cleaner exhaust gases, mitigating the damage done to the environment by diesel vehicles.
AdBlue has traditionally been used in lorries, buses and coaches which have been using SCR technology since the mid-2000s. However, the Euro VI emissions regulations, which were introduced in 2014/15, have driven a huge increase in the use of SCR technology in passenger cars. This is because Euro VI regs demanded Nitrogen Oxide emissions be cut by 56 per cent compared to Euro V.
This is a massive target and the only way most diesel cars of 1.6 litre and above will achieve it is via the use of AdBlue. So now, all diesel cars of this engine capacity and more are built with an AdBlue tank.
Of course, many of our valued agriculture and commercial customers have been using AdBlue for a long time in their tractors, trucks and other commercial vehicles so are well aware of how it works and the benefits it brings. And we have been supplying it for many years so can offer expert advice on this and many other fuel additives.
If you want to know more about AdBlue and how and when to use it correctly, or any of the other fuels, lubricants or fuel additives we sell, please do get in touch!
Rix is a leading supplier of heating oil in the UK, working throughout the country to bring the excellent services to homes and businesses. Find out more about heating oil, including prices and uses by exploring our website
