Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC)

We recently spent time at a well known eco-friendly game ranch in Northern Kenya. I was interested to see just how many vehicles were running around. It got me thinking about the environment and the pollutants we were spilling out into this beautiful pristine environment and what the animals were having to breathe in as we were passing.

It’s all well and good having an ‘eco friendly” lodge but if the vehicles being used to transport the tourist are spewing harmful toxins into the environment just how eco friendly are these lodges?

If humans are concerned by breathing diesel fumes continuously, how are the wild animals effected and what would the long term effects of breathing these diesel fumes daily from the many tour buses that visit these destinations. Is it time to limit the number of vehicles surrounding the animals or is the answer in the fitment of DOCS on all the vehicles? So I decided to do some research on the web. This is what I found out:

What are Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC)

We know diesel engines offer better fuel economy, long-term reliability and lower fuel emissions than petrol engines. However, there are concerns about the environmental and health hazards posed especially by diesel exhaust emissions.

Diesel emissions are an important topic for catalyst development. Sales growth of diesel cars has raised concern on the possible health effects from the ultra-fine particulates in diesel emissions. All new diesel – engine cars sold in Europe are now fitted with oxidation catalysts.

Diesel Oxidation Catalysts lower particulate mass by up to 50%, by destruction of the organic fraction of the particulate, as well as making significant reductions in CO, HC and the characteristic diesel odour. However, the number of particles is unchanged and issues associated with the effects of ultra-fine particulates remain unresolved.

Here are some Q & A from the web site http://www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/documents/f03016.pdf

Technical Highlights
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation EPA420-F-03-016
June 2003, Office of Transportation and Air Quality

Questions and Answers on Using a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst in Diesel Trucks and Buses

The pollution emitted by diesel engines contributes greatly to our nation’s air quality problems. Even with more stringent heavy-duty highway engine standards set to take effect in 2004 and 2007, existing trucks and buses will continue to emit large amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), both of which contribute to serious public health problems in the United States. Fortunately, there are several techniques and technologies designed to reduce diesel pollution from existing trucks and buses. Using pollution control devices such as a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) is one way existing engines can be upgraded (or “retrofitted”) to pollute less. This fact sheet discusses diesel oxidation catalysts.


What are the health and environmental effects of diesel exhaust?
Heavy-duty trucks and buses account for about one-third of NOx emissions and one-quarter of PM emissions from mobile sources. In some urban areas, the contribution is even greater. The fine particles in diesel exhaust (known as particulate matter) can penetrate deep into the lungs
and pose serious health risks including aggravated asthma, lung damage, and other serious health problems. In addition, diesel exhaust is a likely human carcinogen. Children are more susceptible to air pollution than healthy adults because their respiratory systems are still developing and they have a faster breathing rate.

Diesel exhaust also has environmental impacts. PM from diesel engines contribute to haze, which restricts visibility. In addition, diesel exhaust contributes to ozone formation (a component of smog), acid rain, and global climate change.

What is a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst?
A DOC is a device that uses a chemical process to break down pollutants in the exhaust stream into less harmful components. More specifically, it is a physical device with a porous ceramic honeycomb-like structure that is coated with a material that catalyzes a chemical reaction to reduce pollution.

What are the benefits of a DOC retrofit?
DOCs reduce emissions of particulate matter by at least 20 percent. DOCs also reduce emissions of hydrocarbons by 50 percent and carbon monoxide by 40 percent.

Does the EPA verify these emission reductions?
Yes, EPA evaluates the emission reduction performance of retrofit technologies such as DOCs, including their durability, and identifies engine operating criteria and conditions that must exist for these technologies to achieve those reductions. For a list of DOCs and other technologies that
EPA has verified, visit: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/retroverifiedlist.htm. For more information about EPA’s verification process, visit: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/retrofittech.htm.

How much does a DOC cost?
DOCs for school buses cost about $1,000 - $2,000. Field experience suggests DOCs take about 1-3 hours to install.

What type of fuel does a DOC require?
DOCs can be used with regular diesel fuel, but the effectiveness of a DOC may be increased with the use of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD – 15 parts per million sulfur). Currently, ULSD costs between 8 and 25 cents per gallon more than regular diesel. ULSD is available in many
parts of the country now and will be available nationwide beginning in June 2006.

Can a DOC be used on any engine?
Yes. DOCs have been used for years on a variety of diesel vehicles including trucks, buses and construction equipment.

Are there special maintenance requirements for a DOC?
No. Much like a catalytic converter on a car, once a DOC is installed, it rarely requires maintenance.

How long does a DOC last?
Most DOCs come with a 100,000 to 150,000 mile warranty, and can last 7 to 15 years.
Where can I get a DOC?
For more information about manufacturers of DOCs or other retrofit equipment visit our Web site at: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/cont_retromfrs.htm.

Where can I find more information?
For more information on these topics, please visit these EPA Web sites:
• Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit
• Clean School Bus USA – Basic Information on Retrofit Options:
www.epa.gov/otaq/schoolbus/retrofit.htm
• Clean Diesel Independent Review Panel: www.epa.gov/air/caaac/
clean_diesel.html
• Health Assessment Document for Diesel Engine Exhaust: http://
cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=29060

You can also contact the Office of Transportation and Air Quality library
for document information at:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
OTAQ Library
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: 734-214-4311
Email: GroupAALibrary

Rant About Matatus!

Yesterday, I saw a matatu cut down the inside of all the traffic splashing all the pedestrians on the side of the road, while forcing them off the roadside into the gutter. Then the driver proceeded to cut me off and then pushed his way into the queue. When one motorist tried to talk to him, he just turned up his music louder to drown out the criticism. Then he pulled out and proceeded to overtake down the wrong side of the road, again forcing oncoming traffic off the road.

When the matatu got to the junction he then turned right in front of a Minister's car, cutting him off and forcing the Minister's driver to brake very hard to avoid hitting him! Meanwhile, a policeman at the junction watched the whole saga and never pulled the Matau over, nor did the Minister's car make any attempt to do anything. This is normal operating procedure for matatus and everyone is fed up, yet they get away with it day in and day out.

I don't understand why the police don't do something to stop these maniacs. If a regular driver is seen by a policeman committing even the most minor misdemeanour they are immediately pulled over, chastised, taken to court, etc., while the matatus, the real killers, are left to wreak havoc on Kenya's roads. It just doesn't make sense to me.

The arrogance of the matatu drivers is becoming world renown, with overseas tourist talking about them before they even get here. Is this the impression of our country we want to send to foreign visitors? Do we want them to be stunned by Kenya’s beauty and wildlife only to have it tarnished by these dangerous, arrogant drivers?

Fond Memories

Fond memories

One of the best moments in my life was when I spent a day with my son Craig and some of his mates taking them all for rides in my rally car.

We took them out to a ‘test session' about 30 minutes driver from Nairobi. They watched as we tested the car. Afterwards, we then spent a few hours taking each child in the rally car for a run on the test roads. They loved it and we all had a ball.

The Importance of Driver Training

So the death toll in Kenya for road related deaths has already reached 130, and we are only just past the first month of the new year.

These deaths could have been avoided if drivers only had proper training. We are losing lives at a rapid rate on Kenyans roads. One person dies every 3 hours due to road related injuries in Kenya. That equals 3,000 deaths a year.

It's important that managers of companies wake up to this fact and do it urgently. Companies can no longer incur losses incurred because of bad driving - especially in this current global economic turmoil. It's not only a moral issue of saving lives, but it will also bite into the company's bottom line and affect much needed profits.

We encourage all employees to petition their companies to pay for professional defensive driving lessons. It could save your life.

Free Wheeling - Beware!!

The term "Free-wheeling" describes a vehicle traveling in neutral or with the clutch depressed.
Many drivers use freewheeling in a effort to save fuel and is common practice with many truck drivers.

By putting the vehicle in neutral and allowing it to free wheel down a hill, can cause problems when it’s time to re-engage the gear. For example, when the gear is forced in, it can damage the transmission or result in locking the wheels and causing the vehicle to skid out of control.
Freewheeling vehicles rely on the brakes to slow them down resulting in overheating the brakes, and boiled brake fluids. Therefore when heavy braking is needed, brakes will tend to fade, and give a "long pedal" causing inefficient and longer stopping distances.

Many drivers will also push the clutch in conjunction with the brake during an emergency stop. By doing this they disengaging the engine from the drive train causing a loss in engine braking efficiency.

In addition, coasting down hills compromises engine compression braking, and descending steep or slippery hills should be negotiated with the use of engine and foot brake balanced so as not to over work each system.

Dangerous Scam - Nairobi, Kenya

Security Alert 02 December, 2008

Prominent Kenyan Wildlife researcher and Honorary Game warden victim of million shilling fraud by gang of 3 women and one man probably using a subdermal dose of the "date rape" drug Scopolamine, through which the gang totally controlled her for more than three hours. Long enough for the gang to be given over one million Kenya shillings, withdrawn by the victim from
her own Bank account.

Date of Incident: Thursday, 27 November 2008 at approximately 9.30 AM

The victim of this scenario, a woman, we’ll call Mrs X had been undergoing physiotherapy at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Parklands, Nairobi, since 10 November, 2008. She would typically arrive every morning at about 09:00 for the daily two-hour session.

Mrs X parked her car at the back parking lot of the Aga Khan Hospital. When walking towards the Doctors Plaza she was stopped by a well dressed woman, who took her hand and held it, asking her questions about the whereabouts of a Maxwell group that had opened an office at the Aga Khan and was holding a conference to see how they can help orphan children who parents died of AIDS. Mrs X told the stranger that she had no idea because she was visiting
a Doctor at the hospital.

The woman finally introduced herself to Mrs X as 'Sister Gladys' and explained that she helps raise funds to support orphans from Taita Taveta and Rombo area. She also told Mrs X that her parents died when she was 5yrs old. The whole time Sister Gladys was telling Mrs X the story she was holding Mrs X’s hand.

As they stood talking, another lady walked passed them and Sister Gladys asked the woman if she knew about the Maxwell group. This woman told her that they had opened an office along Ngong road near Masaba hospital. By “coincidence” Sister Gladys knew the 2nd lady who eventually introduced herself Mrs Kamau.

The gang had obviously been doing surveillance on Mrs X for quite some time and knew how many children she had, who her family members were, etc. This information, combined with effects from the drug (which had apparently been transferred by holding hands with Sister Gladys), persuaded her to follow these two ladies because they convinced her that the Aga Khan was full of devil spirits.

All three women got into what Ms. Kamau claimed was her car and drove to the High Ridge Nakumat parking lot. At the parking lot one more women and a man joined them in the car. At the parking lot some more rubbing of Ms X’s arm took place. All the time Sister Grace was speaking to her, asking her questions about herself and managed to extract information about Mrs X’s accounts and amounts being held in each.

She did not have the account number of her current account, so was asked to call her sister-in -law to get the information. That was 11:30a.m. After that she was asked to switch off her phones.

She was asked to go into the Nakumat to buy some eggs and later to write something in her diary, which she did. Mrs X’s assumption, once she came to her senses, was that these actions comprised a trial to see if the drug was having the desired effect to render her docile and compliant, yet still ambulatory and functional.

They then drove to the Kenya Commercial Bank at Kencom House. On arrival at the Bank, she was then told to withdraw from her savings account Ksh1,150,000 and Ksh150,000 from her current account. The male person in the car accompanied her to the Bank. He queued for her and then when it was her turn to withdraw money he left her alone in the queue after telling her that it was getting late and therefore, she should only remove money from the savings account.

The clerk at the Bank seemed to be concerned about the amount she was withdrawing and only gave her Ksh 50,000 over the counter and asked her to come inside for the rest. She was given the money and handed the bag to the man to carry, and they both left the bank. Once outside, they got into the parked car. She was then asked to hand over the money. They drove to an
Uchumi by Nairobi Cinema and asked Mrs X to go into the store and buy a mirror. When she came out of Uchumi they were gone.

She wandered around town for quite some time, not aware of what she was doing. She eventually finished up again in front of the Bank about 1345 hours. She sat there for some time and then called one of her employees who immediately came and collected her.

It was only on Friday afternoon, when she went back to the AKUH to collect the car and to speak to the nurses in Physiotherapy, when they told her that she had actually not come for treatment on Thursday and that she was seen talking to and leaving with a woman, that suddenly the memory of what had really happened began to flood back.

Search results from the Internet suggest that M. was the victim of ‘burundanga’, or something similar, in which the perpetrators contrive to achieve topical or oral administration of scopolamine, or some similar derivative of narcotic plant families like Solanaceae. It should be noted that there were no medical tests to confirm or refute this hypothesis.

Mrs X has been to the police twice, and to the hospital and bank. She is also trying to reach a journalist with the local press to try to alert others of this gang's activities. Her boss has been in touch with UN Security, the security group for the hospital, and two private security companies. They will be posting alerts. Several people have written to Soila relating similar incidents. A search of the Internet reveals the use of one drug for this kind of robbery. One of the security companies knew of another drug.

The Perpetrators
As best as Mrs X can recall, the perpetrators were:

Sister Gladys, who intercepted the victim in the parking lot was a good looking person, around 30 to 35 years old, medium build, well-dressed in a Kitenge outfit. Evidently the leader of the group. She was a very convincing talker.

The second woman, who called herself Mrs Kamau, was elderly, slim, medium build and dressed in a pink skirt suit.

The man who accompanied her into the bank who earlier introduced himself as Mr. Mumanyi was dressed in a black suit, he was about 5ft 7”, around 40 to 45yrs old and around 90 kilos.

The third woman Mrs Mumanyi was around 40 to 45 years old, tall, slim, dressed in a black skirt, black and white blouse.

TIPS
Thieves take advantage of people’s eagerness to be helpful. It is advisable to be very cautious when speaking to strangers, shaking hands or taking pieces of paper from people that you don't know. It's better to be rude, than to be taken by a scam. You should also be wary of being predictable in your daily routines as this makes you an easy target. Always try to vary
routes, times, appointments and even vehicles whenever possible.

Remembering Road Traffic Victims & Their Families

WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE (WDR)

The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT- Kenya) invites you to join us in the World Day of Remembrance on Sunday 16th November 2008. The event begins with a processional walk at 12noon, Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park to KICC, and 130pm at KICC launched by President Daniel Arap Moi.

This is a day established by the United Nations (UN Resolution 60/05) and calls on all governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims. It was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and their loved ones.

Why mark it?
Road crashes in Kenya are a leading cause of death and account for over 30,000 injuries per year. Many of the injured are permanently disabled, and many are unable to contribute to the well-being of their families or themselves, causing great hardship for many more. We know that all of these injuries and deaths are predictable and preventable. We know that our road culture can be changed and that the responsibility lies with the government, the administration, and with us as individual drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.

During the observation of this day we will review the epidemiology of the problem, what are the obstacles to change, and how we can actually change road culture in Kenya. We will honour the victims of road carnage by making roads and road users safer.

Where will it be?
This event will start with a walk at Freedom Corner within Uhuru Park at 12 noon and end at The Kenyatta International Conference Centre – KICC. The walk will include school children with reflective arm bands, victims of road crashes in wheel chairs, family members, friends and the general public.

At KICC President Daniel Arap Moi will launch events at 1:30. There will be an inter-denominational service; a large memorial quilt comprised of hand-written memorials to victims of the road, and more quilt squares for people to sign at KICC. There will also be a children’s essay contest, several exhibits, information, memorial candle-lighting and entertainment.

Who?
Many dignitaries have been invited to the event which will be launched by retired President Daniel Arap Moi who is also a road crash victim. Neuro-traumatologist, Mr. David Oluouch-Olunya, will be our Master of Ceremonies.

It is our hope that collaboration with the Government of Kenya, World Health Organization, road safety organizations, medical organizations, media, religious leaders, driving schools, road crash victims and their families and various companies will come together to promote immediate change, including the immediate implementation of the National Road Safety Plan.

Come join Glen and Kim Edmunds as they help bring recognition to this day.