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VERT provides an update on clean diesel projects in Iran

6 May 2016

VERT Association provided an update on their clean diesel activities in Iran, where many large cities experience very high levels of particle pollution. Since 2013, VERT has been supporting the Iranian authorities in the development of a diesel bus retrofit program and—in cooperation with TÜV Süd—emission regulations for all new diesel vehicles in Iran.

The approach has been to select elements from various stages of European emission regulations in an attempt to maximize the emission benefits, while using high sulfur diesel fuel. Iran has no immediate plans to switch to low sulfur transportation fuels.

The city of Tehran intends to retrofit their fleet of diesel city buses with diesel particulate filters (DPF). VERT and the Air Quality Control Company (AQCC) of Tehran conducted testing of DPF systems to select DPF technologies that could be used with fuels containing up to 7,000 ppm of sulfur. All systems without a PGM catalyst coating—such as DPFs using fuel borne catalysts—passed the tests. The selected DPF systems were validated during a nearly one year long DPF demonstration project. The first batch of Tehran transit buses is now being retrofitted with particulate filters.

Following a stakeholder meeting last year, the Iranian government and the stakeholders have been developing new emission requirements for existing transit buses, as well as for all new diesel vehicles:

The development of the regulations and the homologation procedures for new diesel vehicles has been led by TÜV Süd. Two heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers (one European and one Japanese) are currently in the homologation process with their DPF-equipped vehicles.

As the high sulfur diesel fuel used in Iran limits the choice of DPF technologies, a number of leading European vehicle manufacturers continue to oppose the PN limit and DPF requirements, proposing instead the use of EEV vehicles, which would be fitted with SCR systems without a DPF.

Source: VERT Association