More than 10 million litres of locally produced GoClear diesel emission fluid has been manufactured at its Kapuni plant in Taranaki by farming co-operative Ballance Agri-nutrients since 2009.
GoClear is used in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology equipped diesel vehicles to remove nitrogen oxides from vehicle exhaust. It reduces harmful NOx in exhausts to harmless nitrogen gas and water vapour.
According to Ballance Agrinutrients, scientists calculate this GoClear volume has removed 2,000 tonnes of harmful exhaust gases from the air.
IXOM New Zealand (formerly Orica) formed a partnership with Ballance Agri-Nutrients to be the national distributor and marketer of GoClear.
GoClear is distributed in New Zealand utilising existing fuel distributions networks, such as NPD, McKeown Petroleum, Z Energy, Caltex, Allied Petroleum and Waitomo Petroleum.
Since it began manufacturing GoClear in 2009, Ballance Agri-Nutrients has now passed the 10-million-litre mark, thanks to its use by many large transport fleet operations, including Fonterra’s 540-strong milk-collection fleet.
“GoClear is playing a part in reducing respiratory illnesses associated with the polluted air we breathe. The NOx it eliminates is a key element in the production of photochemical smog, with its associated breathing disorders and poor public health,” says Ballance process and chemicals manger Dr Terry Smith.
“Nearly all diesel-powered trucks and buses imported into New Zealand now have to meet the international Euro V exhaust emission standards, and most of the big diesel-engine manufacturers have opted for the SCR solution,” says Smith.
“As a result, the market for GoClear has grown every year in line with the arrival of new vehicles as local truck, bus and tractor fleets are updated. These trucks and buses won’t run if the exhaust purification solution is not used.”
In the year to date to June, 922 heavy trucks were registered (23,001kg-max GVM). More than 80% of these vehicles use SCR technology.
To keep up with demand, Ballance Agri-Nutrients has invested $2 million in storage capacity to ensure a continuous supply. It has just completed the installation of two 250,000-litre storage tanks at its production site at Kapuni, Taranaki, lifting total storage on site to 600,000 litres.
“Over the past couple of years as exhaust reduction solutions have been tried and tested we’ve seen a clear jump in the use of SCR technology,” says Smith
“We have several months’ worth of contingency supply, should we need it, thanks to the increased storage capacity at Kapuni, as well the product within the network, and also in our hub in Timaru, ” he says.
