AeroSolfd project to demonstrate retrofit GPF and brake particle control systems
15 June 2022
The AeroSolfd project—started last month with a kick-off event in Ludwigsburg, Germany—will demonstrate retrofit systems to reduce tailpipe and brake particle emissions, as well as particle pollution in closed environments. The AeroSolfd consortium—led by Mann+Hummel—has received €8.2 million in total funding from the EU Horizon program and from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI).
European gasoline vehicles manufactured prior to 2018 (Euro 6c and earlier) are not fitted with gasoline particulate filters (GPF), while GPFs are installed on new (Euro 6d) vehicles with direct injection engines. In contrast to exhaust emissions, particle emissions from brakes, tires and rail-wheel contact have not been regulated. The AeroSolfd project will develop retrofit filtration systems—to be market ready by 2025—to control engine particle emissions from older vehicles, to control brake particle emissions, and to reduce ambient particle exposures in semi-open and closed environments such as bus stops, tunnels, and train and metro stations.
The AeroSolfd consortium is composed of large industrial players, scientific institutes, and ‘lighthouse’ demo sites from 8 European countries. Among the consortium partners is the VERT Association that has initiated and participated in a number of projects to reduce particle emissions from in-use vehicle fleets.
Over a three-year period, the AeroSolfd consortium will conduct three ‘lighthouse’ demonstrations:
- Tailpipe GPF retrofit to be conducted in 2 climate zones (Germany & Israel) for 4 representative engine type families. PN emissions will be measured from 1,000 vehicles, and 50 vehicles will be retrofitted with a GPF.
- Brake retrofit of public transport vehicles in Valladolid, Ancona, Fermo, and Sofia that will involve over 35,000 km of testing on a laboratory dynamometer and over 8,000 km in real driving.
- Air purifier retrofit for closed environments to be conducted in 3 underground rail stations (Sofia, 2× Lisbon) with over 130,000 commuters and Valladolid central bus depot with more than 150 buses.
The AeroSolfd project will also focus on increasing public and political awareness of the detrimental impact of tailpipe and brake emissions on public health and will provide European policymakers with recommendations on how to develop incentive schemes for a quick market uptake of the retrofit technologies.
Source: Fundacion CARTIF