Industry projections about the use of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) all point toward increases over the near term as more engines — on-road and off-road — adapt selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology in new and replacement engines to meet the U.S. EPA’s mandate to reduce NOx emissions. DEF is the fluid that converts harmful NOx fumes in diesel exhaust into water and nitrogen in SCR-equipped engines.
There is increasing evidence of bulk DEF dispensing and storage being used across the U.S., with one notable example in this article from CSNews. Retailers and fleet operators are all interested in moving away from DEF jugs, which are inefficient and expensive.
Blue is for DEF, green for diesel. They are typically placed side by side so you can refuel both at the same time. (Courtesy: Aggregates Manager)
But off-road diesel engines are also catching the wave of movement to DEF. This story in Aggregates Manager provides this prediction about what is happening.
“The off-highway market will consume about 20 million gallons of DEF this year and 260 million gallons in five years,” says Luke Van Wyk, general manager, Thunder Creek Equipment. “That’s more than a ten-fold increase before 2019.”
The article does a nice job providing important information about DEF and what off-road operators need to know.