News and Announcements

THE GREENER SIDE OF LB/OMNI Posted Mon, 01 May 2006 11:35

Many industries talk about helping the environment, but ours is using new innovations to cut emissions, helping to make our air cleaner and safer for future generations. This year, LB/Omni purchased two new straight trucks and seven tractor/trailers designed to effectively use the new environmentally-friendly ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Background about Diesel Fuels With many trucks and fleets using diesel engines, environmental regulators noticed an increase in airborne emissions, most notably, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). Nitrogen oxides contribute to ozone formation while particulate matter is the black smoke you may have seen pouring out of the older trucks going down the highway. In 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lowered maximum sulfur levels in diesel fuel from 5,000 ppm to 500 ppm, to help counter the problem. The current day diesels already produce much less smoke and emissions than in the past, but new technology has refiners taking the available next step to lowering emissions further. Starting October 15, eighty percent of on-road diesel fuel will meet a new 15 parts per million sulfur standard, with one hundred percent compliance slated in just four years with the use of the new environmentally-friendly ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. The new ultra-low sulfur diesel, by design, will improve emissions by lowering particulate matter by about 10 percent. The real benefit comes from using exhaust after-treatments. Our fleets of diesel-power engines are currently equipped with a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, a device designed to reduce particulate matte by twenty to twenty-five percent. In anticipation of the October 15 deadline, we're ready to install a specialized filter for ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. This after-treatment device, known as diesel particulate filters, will remove approximately ninety percent of the particulate matte—almost eliminating all visible black smoke. According to refinery experts, the transition to ultra-low sulfur diesel will be complicated. These new regulations have required extensive modifications and capital investment in refinery operations, so most refiners won’t be ready much sooner than June 1. Terminals have until September 1 and retail sites until October 15 before they are required to convert their tanks to the new fuel. Want to Know More? Call our safety manager Ken Burzynski at 1-800-686-0060