New EU Car Emissions Legislation Forces Focus on Gas Analysis, Says Air Products

As the EU unveils new legislation to curb car emissions, Air Products (UK) is urging manufacturers to make sure that systems used tomeasure greenhouse gas emissions are accurate and reliable.
According to the legislative proposals published by the European Commission on 19 December 2007 (the 70/220/EEC Directive ‘Measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles’), European carmakers will be required to reduce average carbon dioxide emissions from new cars to 130 grams per km by 2012, nearly 20% below current levels.
The long-awaited draft legislation is part of a move to reduce Europe’s total carbon dioxide emissions from road transport, which currently stands at 19%. Depending on the progress of the legislation and the speed with which it is adopted by national governments, the automotive industry may need to respond quickly to achieve the specified emissions targets, which will apply to all new cars and light duty vehicles and to avoid a potential penalty.
Accurate and reliable emissions testing systems, which fulfil the latest international quality standards, will be critical to confirm compliance.
Lieve de Paepe, Air Products’ European Product Manager Analytical and Laboratories, says: “As automotive manufacturers face up to the requirements of this tough new environmental legislation, the ability to take accurate and consistent readings of emissions; with the lowest levels of uncertainties, across a range of greenhouse gases, is increasingly critical.
“Manufacturers should review their existing emissions monitoring systems to ensure they are making use of pure gases and gas mixtures that provide the greatest assurance of reliability, accuracy and traceability.”
Recent technological developments in the production and supply of specialty gases – the pure gases and gas mixtures used in gas analysis –are helping to improve the accuracy of emissions monitoring systems. In particular, Air Products has developed new cylinder filling techniques and treatments that increase the reliability of results by ensuring the gas products remain stable for longer. As a result, uncertainty levels are minimised.
Lieve de Paepe says: “The accuracy of emissions measurements is increasingly important but can be difficult to achieve – especially when working with complex mixtures comprising reactive components at low concentrations. As a result,manymanufacturers are joining forces with suppliers to find new ways to reduce uncertainty levels as far as possible.
“Applying the right cylinder treatment and adjusting the way individual components are weighed and added to the cylinder, significantly enhance stability and so guarantee the accuracy of measurements.”
In the drive to improve accuracy and minimise uncertainty levels, most manufacturers prefer to use high grade specialty gases that come with a certificate of analysis from an ISO 17025 laboratory. Some are also taking steps to ensure that the systems in place fulfil the European quality standard for stack emissions monitoring, known as EN 14181, which was adopted in the UK in 2004. While not a legislative requirement, this standard sets out a step by step guide to emissions monitoring and provides an assurance of accuracy and reliability.