Pirelli particulate filters fitted on nearly 900 buses in the Piedmont region
With 7 million euro financing from the region, Pirelli technology will remove
44 tons of particulate matter per year
Milan, 19 March 2009 - Pirelli Eco Technology has begun installing particulate filters on public transportation buses in Piedmont. By the end of September 2009, the Pirelli Group company which operates in the field of emissions control technology will install its filters on 879 regional buses, with the capacity to reduce particulate emissions by a minimum of 90% and nitrogen dioxide emissions by 50%.
The installation is going ahead thanks to 7 million euros appropriated by the Piedmont Region in the context of a plan to improve air quality, with a commitment on the part of GTT-Gruppo Torinese Trasporti in the role of lead company for the bidding procedures and with the collaboration of vehicle dealer Orecchia SpA.
Pirelli technology will thus contribute to reducing the environmental impact of emissions in Piedmont, by raising the standards of buses involved from Euro 2 emissions levels to Euro 5, eliminating about 19 tons of particulate matter per year in the city of Turin and 44 tons per year in the region as a whole. At the end of February 2009, there were already more than 270 filter systems installed on buses in the fleet of the Piedmont public transportation company.
"The choice by the Piedmont Region illustrates the usefulness of the technology created by Pirelli in support of the public transportation company's commitment to combating particulate emissions," said Bruno Tronchetti Provera, CEO of Pirelli Eco Technology. "With the simple substitution of the muffler and installation of our filter system, public transportation companies can reach emissions levels foreseen by Euro 5 norms, significantly improving city air quality with benefits for the health of citizens, without substituting their existing fleets, and taking advantage of eco-incentives under the recent auto industry stimulus plan."
The Pirelli filter system has four main elements: a particulate filter in silicon carbide made up of a honeycomb-type structure that traps the particulate matter, mainly composed of carbon particles of various sizes (the so-called PM10), a silencer which houses the particulate filter, a fuel additive (ferrocene) which allows complete combustion when a temperature of around 250/280°C is reached, and a control unit for controlling the proper functioning of the system.