RALEIGH – North Carolina’s air will be a
bit cleaner starting this year now that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has certified a specialized emissions reduction system for one of the N.C.
Department of Transportation Rail Division’s passenger locomotives.
The system, known as a Blended After-Treatment System (BATS), uses
catalytic reduction to chemically remove diesel engine emission pollutants from
the locomotive’s exhaust before it is released into the air. The technology was
developed for use on passenger locomotives by California-based Rail Propulsion
Systems.
The NCDOT Rail Division has collaborated with RPS for the past two
years to install and test the functionality of BATS. Specifically, it is
designed to reduce four diesel exhaust pollutants: nitrogen oxides, carbon
monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter – all of which are identified by
the EPA as causing chronic negative health effects such as heart and lung
disease.
Charles Edwards, NCDOT Rail Division Acting Director, said NCDOT is
the first rail agency in the country to successfully demonstrate the technology
on an in-service passenger locomotive. “This is another positive step in our
ongoing efforts to be a leader in helping reduce air-pollution levels across the
state,” Edwards said. “This very cost-effective, innovative technology will help
ensure that North Carolina is a wonderful place to live and work in every
day.”
The EPA certification will enable the Rail Division to pursue state
and federal grant opportunities to retrofit BATS onto its full fleet of
locomotives, further reducing air pollution along the NCDOT Piedmont route
between Raleigh and Charlotte.
Every county along the Piedmont rail corridor has high levels of
one or more types of air pollution, according to the EPA. By implementing the
BATS, the Rail Division is working to improve air quality across the state,
including in many of the major metropolitan areas which are particularly
affected by air pollution.
Ian Stewart, CEO of Rail Propulsion Systems, said the BATS
technology will make NCDOT one of the nation’s cleanest rail agencies once it is
fully retrofitted on the entire fleet.
“The BATS certification is the latest in a series of successes
achieved through the collaboration between Rail Propulsion Systems, NCDOT and
its engineering group, McDowell Engineers and Associates, and RailPlan mechanics
and staff,” Stewart said. “This is a major milestone toward efforts to
efficiently improve air quality, and North Carolina is leading the way.”