Supporting HGV operators on the road to Net Zero

Tackling climate change through the reduction and removal of carbon emissions is arguably the most urgent task facing society.  With road transport producing around 16% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to DfT data, decarbonisation is of particular significance to HGV operators.

Launched in 2021, the government’s Net Zero strategy has set out a pathway to reaching net zero GHG by 2050, through a range of policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy.  Net Zero refers to achieving a balance between the amount of GHG produced and the amount removed or ‘fixed’ from the atmosphere.  It can be achieved via a combination of emissions reduction and emissions removal.

The transport and logistics sector recognises it has a significant role to play in reaching Net Zero.  Research from Logistics UK highlights that almost 90% of logistics firms are considering decarbonising their vehicle fleets through a range of measures, including the introduction of ultra-low emission HGVs.  In addition, positive steps are being achieved in the UK’s diesel HGV parc to ensuring that trucks are compliant with Euro VI emissions regulations.  This now accounts for over 70% of the total number of HGVs on the road, according to Logistics UK.

Euro VI trucks are fitted with diesel particulate filters (DPFs) as part of the vehicle’s exhaust after treatment system (EATS), which prevents noxious particulate matter, such as soot and ash, from entering the atmosphere.  During normal operation, these by-products of diesel combustion accumulate in the DPF.  To ensure the filter performs efficiently, a DPF ‘regeneration’ process occurs at certain intervals, where the engine has to work harder to add extra heat into the exhaust system, in order to burn off the soot deposits.

Ash deposits, however, also build up in the DPF over time but these cannot be burnt off through regeneration.  When a filter becomes saturated, typically at intervals of around 100,000km, the ash must be removed off-vehicle, via a professional cleaning process.  A lack of cleaning can result in significant damage to the EATS, due to an increase in exhaust back pressure, as well as causing an increase in fuel consumption and probable decrease in engine power.

Processing some 2,000 DPF units per week from its 67,000 square-foot Reading facility, Ceramex provides HGV fleets with an exchange-based service, where batches of dirty DPFs are collected from customers in the UK and overseas and replaced with fully cleaned and remanufactured ‘truck ready’ units, on a scheduled basis.  This fast turnaround, contract-based approach minimises vehicle downtime and offers customers value through economies of scale and a planned approach to DPF cleaning, which ensures vehicles run efficiently.  Alongside HGVs, Ceramex also offers DPF cleaning for a range of sectors including off-highway vehicles, powered industrial equipment and marine applications.

Ceramex’s patented Xpurge^® cleaning process, which uses an innovative combination of de-ionised water and compressed air, removes accumulated soot and ash deposits within the DPF.  Xpurge^® collects the particulate matter in aqueous suspension, which eliminates any risk of noxious particulates entering the atmosphere.  This process is unique to Ceramex across the world.  After cleaning, Ceramex’s patented Veritex^® technology provides a detailed internal inspection of the DPF, to prove the results of the cleaning process and give customers reassurance as to the quality of the returned filter.

Taking an environmentally responsible approach to waste removal and disposal, Ceramex is also the only specialist DPF cleaning provider which has an onsite treatment plant that safely removes the particulate matter form the water.  The solid matter is safely disposed of by a government licensed third party, in accordance with environment regulations, and the waste water is cleaned and returned to the mains supply.

To find out more, please contact us