Ben Richardson, of SulNOx Group Plc, was speaking after England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, called air pollution “everybody’s problem and a problem at all times”.
Professor Whitty was speaking at the Clean Air Summit and said that the UK had “concentrated too little on air pollution for quite a while now”, but that the problem is solvable.
“Many of the things that drive pollution where people live and work and study are entirely amenable to us engineering out of the problem, for example on transport,” he said.
Risk emissions targets will be missed
The 2018 National Emission Ceilings Regulations set legally binding emission reduction targets for 2030 on a number of harmful air pollutants. But there have been warnings that the UK is set to miss these 2030 targets for four out of the five emissions – sulphur dioxide (SO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ammonia, and nitrous oxides. An estimated 40,000 people a year die prematurely due to pollution, according to the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Mr Richardson commented: “Prof Whitty is absolutely correct in everything he says – air pollution is everybody’s problem, we have ignored the issue for too long, but we can get ourselves out of the problem. To do that, it is vital everybody in the UK – Governments, councils, businesses and individuals – takes what action they can to reduce emissions and improve the quality of the air we breathe.
“There are small things that people can do which add up to a huge contribution.”
London-based SulNOx Group specialises in providing responsible solutions towards decarbonisation of liquid hydrocarbon fuels with the company’s fuel additives reducing the production of harmful emissions.
Everyone must play a part
Mr Richardson explains: “By taking what is a relatively simple step, such as adding SulNOx to your fuel when you fill up, you could make a significant difference. The amount of each ‘emission’ depends on the quality of combustion. When too little oxygen is available there is inefficient burn, causing greenhouse gases and increased particulate matter to be produced. SulNOx, amongst other things, increases the amount of oxygen available to the fuel promoting cleaner combustion.”
Mr Richardson concludes: “Our business strategy is underpinned by an urgent need to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. It has never been more important for everyone to do their part.”
The February issue of Fuel Oil News magazine took a detailed look at the role for additives in the decarbonisation of transport.
