EAD chairs committee for introduction of 'green diesel' in Abu Dhabi

This Committee was formulated by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council (in its Decree No 5 Session 2/2006). It comprises of ADNOC Distribution, Abu Dhabi Police, TAKREER, Emirates Standardization and Metrology Agency and Department of Transportation as members.

This Committee has drafted a policy and action plan to phase out the use of the polluting diesel and replacing it with a cleaner alternative; similar in power and efficiency performance but with significantly less exhaust emissions. Both Policy and Action Plan were approved by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council to achieve a number of goals including improvement of the air quality in Abu Dhabi, reduction of environmental, financial, social, direct and indirect health impacts associated with high sulfur levels in the air as well as strengthening the economy through creating a world-wide marketable product (e.g. low sulfur fuel) to assure the leadership of Abu Dhabi in issues related to the environment and sustainable development.

The approved action plan has three distinctive phases:
1)Phase One (implemented in late July 2007) by introducing the 500 parts per million (ppm) diesel instead of the currently used 2500.
2)Phase Two (due in 2010) when the 500 ppm will be replaced by the 50ppm.
3)Phase Three (in 2012) when the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (10 ppm) will replace all diesels used in vehicles and industry.

Along these lines, the standard composition of the new diesel has been approved by the Emirates Standardization and Metrology Agency (EMS 477/2006). Billions of dirhams have been invested to upgrade the refineries and install the required infrastructure to produce, deliver and distribute the new fuel. Moreover, a communication strategy with neighboring countries has already been carried out to raise awareness about the UAE's direction in this issue.

Why introduce green diesel in the UAE market?

1)To enact the Council of Ministers' Decree No (34) / 2006
2)To improve ambient air quality through reducing the pollutants emitted at the source.
3)To enhance health standards of the UAE's population while decreasing the associated health bill the government is currently enduring due to the respiratory diseases associated with the high sulfur diesel used widely in vehicles and industry across the country
4)To implement the sustainable transportation and sustainable development strategies endorsed by the government.

More information about air quality

Poor air quality is related to approximately three million deaths each year and contributes to the plight of millions of individuals who suffer from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and lung cancer.

Motor vehicles emit large quantities of air pollutants including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and toxic substances such as fine particles, benzene, aromatics and aldehyde - and in countries where it is still used as a fuel additive - lead. Motor vehicles thereby contribute to poor air quality, particularly in those urban areas that have older vehicle fleets and a geography that constrains air movement.

Over the past 50 years, the world's vehicle population has grown fifteen-fold: it now exceeds 700 million units and will soon reach 1 billion units. Over the same period, the total number of kilometers traveled annually by each person on earth has tripled. Since 1970 fuel consumption for transportation has more than doubled, reaching 18 million barrels of oil per day, and projections are that it will grow by another 77 percent (to 27 million barrels per day) by 2020. Most vehicles have been in industrialized countries, but vehicle population growth rates in developing countries are catching up quickly and most of the future growth in world oil consumption is expected to take place in developing countries, much of it related to increased demand for transport and hence transport fuels.

The type and quantity of pollutants emitted from transport vehicles depend on vehicle type, age, maintenance profile, mileage and driving style, and fuel characteristics. In developing countries, in general, the age of the vehicle fleet is much older than in developed countries, vehicles are often ill-maintained and fuel quality is generally poorer, putting an increasing number of urbanized areas in developing countries under pressure from mobile source air pollution.

Heavy-duty diesel vehicles are a significant source of sulfur oxides (SOx), particulate (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions contributing an average of 60% to 90% of all urban air pollutants in the middle east and third world countries. Diesel exhaust releases particles at a rate of about 20 times greater than gasoline-fueled vehicles.

Sulfur is a major impediment to implementation of the emission control technology needed to achieve significant emissions reductions from diesel engines. Sulfur is also partly responsible for creating the brown color in the air from air pollution, and is a primary contributor to ambient particulate emissions.

Diesel particulate emissions specifically are under scrutiny due to the large quantity produced and their association with human respiratory problems. Exact biological mechanisms are not completely understood, but small particles (less than 2.5 microns in diameter) are believed to pose the most severe health risks. 92 percent of diesel particulates are less than 1 micron in diameter which can be inhaled and eventually trapped into the bronchial and alveolar regions of the lung.

Interest in controlling diesel emissions has increased in response to mounting evidence that diesel exhaust has a highly adverse impact on health. Diesel exhaust includes over 40 substances that are listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants. EPA has concluded (with approval of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee) that diesel exhaust is likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

Primary targets are believed to be school children. They are more susceptible to environmental conditions and by far the most exposed, direct targets, to diesel fuel emissions from school buses. School buses transport majority of students to and from schools on daily basis for the most of the year for twelve consecutive years (on average).

Vehicular pollutants comprise the following:

Carbon Monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that enters the bloodstream through the lungs and inhibits the capacity of blood to carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissues.

Nitrogen Oxides produce a variety of health and welfare effects. Nitrogen Oxide can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infection. Nitrogen Oxides are a precursor to ground-level ozone and to acid rain and may affect both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Particulate matter is the general term for the mixture of solid particles (dust, dirt, smoke) and liquid droplets found in the air. Scientific studies show a link between particulate matter and a variety of health impacts including breathing and respiratory impairment, aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, alterations in the body's defense systems against foreign materials, damage to lung tissue, carcinogenesis, and premature mortality.

Sulphur Dioxide is a product of combustion of sulphur-containing fossil fuels; sulphur is present to a greater or lesser extent in all crude oils. Periodic exposure to high concentrations of sulphur dioxide cause reduced lung function in asthmatics and exacerbate respiratory problems in sensitive individuals. Sulphur dioxide contributes to the formation of secondary particulate matter. It furthermore contributes to acid precipitation.