The main producers of AdBlue, the liquid with which diesels clean their nitrogen oxides to pollute less, are beginning to be scarce in Europe. Specifically, in Germany it has already detected important signs of lack of supply, since some producers have stopped manufacturing.
The most modern engines diesel They have selective catalysts to neutralize nitrogen oxides, a function they perform with injections of AdBluean aqueous solution based on urea that is responsible for reducing the most polluting emission particles to the maximum, which is why it is a liquid almost as fundamental as fuel for new cars and, of course, for heavy transport.
At the end of last year, the first signs of the energy crisis we are experiencing were seen, as well as shortages in the supply of raw materials, including those necessary for the large-scale production of urea. With the crisis so acute, in Germany are already beginning to suffer from the lack of AdBlue, especially for heavy road transport. Production fell last fall, coinciding with the first rise in gasoline prices, falling further last March when the war in Ukraine began, according to «Auto Motor und Sport».
AdBlue becomes more expensive due to the lack of raw materials and gas
So, some of the producing companies have already warned of a possible bottleneck in supply due to the high price of gas Russian, manufacturing for a basic supply. Now, the situation has reached such a critical point that two of the large AdBlue producers, BASF Y SKWhave begun to considerably reduce the production of this liquid, the second even stopped directly last August.
From SKW they have indicated that «We are running out of stock. We are emptying our inventories because we are no longer producing”, at the same time that a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy in Berlin has pointed out that “We have not yet been able to observe a real shortage, but we are prepared for this and will take measures if necessary to keep available this important substance. The Government does not rule out solutions such as importation, but measures of state emergency funding to resume production.
AdBlue is made up of water and 32.5 percent urea, which is generated synthetically as a result of chemical reaction between ammonia and CO2. The big problem revolves around the first chemical component, since natural gas is essential for it to be produced. The high price that natural gas has reached makes production unfeasible, so no ammonia no AdBlue.
For now, the supply is not in danger in passenger cars and light vans, since their consumption is minimal, between one and two liters every 1000 kilometersalthough the cessation of AdBlue production will have an important consequence: it will be much more expensive the liter. In some regions of Germany it costs more than two euros per liter, an escalation that will not end until the price of natural gas is lowered.