The Diesel Emissions Conference India 2013 held in Pune provided a forum to discuss the future emission legislation and diesel fuel 
quality regulations in India, as well as several factors specific to the Indian market that may hinder implementation of European style emission standards, diesel fuel specifications and engine technology.
The second day conference threw more light on the growing potential of the AdBlue market which is used in addition to the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to reduce harmful emissions from diesel engines. This technology proves the only way to meet the upcoming Euro VI emission standards and 2010 EPA standards (North America) which have already been implemented by many heavy duty manufacturers around the world.
The SCR aftertreatment technique converts nitrogen oxides (NOx) into diatomic nitrogen (N2) and water using ammonia or urea solutions. SCR engines use a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). AdBlue, one such fluid, is stored in a separate tank in the system and injected into the exhaust stream. This injection causes a chemical reaction in the SCR catalytic converter which ultimately turns the dangerous gas into harmless nitrogen gas and water vapour.
Nandan Petrochem Ltd. (NPL) is one of the oldest and largest contract manufacturers of lubricating oils in the country. It has assisted several MNCs to roll out their international brands by setting up state-of-the-art blending plants as per global standards. Some of the reputed brands from NPL are Mobil, Tata, BP, Total, Gulf, Pennzoil, Caltex, Chevron and MAK. The company has its blending plants in Taloja (Navi Mumbai) and Silvassa (Gujarat).
NPL has been manufacturing genuine oils for major OEMs over the years like Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd., Greaves Cotton Ltd., Escorts Ltd., Premium Energy Transmission Ltd., BEML Ltd., etc.
NPL BlueSky Automotive is a 50:50 joint venture formed between Nandan Petrochem Ltd. and the Kruse Group of Germany to manufacture and market AdBlue in India. The objective of setting up NPL was to supply diesel exhaust fluid to OEMs for their first fill requirement as well as to service their vehicles using the SCR technology on the road. NPL has its AdBlue manufacturing plant in Silvassa. The entire manufacturing set-up with advanced technology has been imported from Germany.
“With the current European emission norms, we foresee a huge potential for our products, particularly AdBlue”, said Mr. Nandan Agrawal, Managing Director, Nandan Petrochem Ltd., in an informal chat with R. Natarajan of MOTORINDIA.