New Emission Control Techn. for Heavy Duty Diesel

Johnson,Matthey PLC
16 March 2000


Johnson Matthey unveils New Emission Control Technology for Heavy Duty Diesel 

In what has been hailed as one of the most significant breakthroughs in diesel
exhaust purification technology for years, Johnson Matthey unveiled its
SCRT(tm) system at last week's Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
conference in Detroit. SCRT(tm) represents a major technological leap forward
in diesel emission control that will help to make heavy duty diesel truck and
bus engines as clean as those of the very latest passenger cars. 

The SCRT(tm) system builds on Johnson Matthey's world leading Continuously
Regenerating Trap (CRT(tm)) technology, which is already extensively used in
Europe and is undergoing large scale trials in the US and other parts of the
world. This is combined with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), another
technology pioneered by Johnson Matthey for diesel emission control using the
company's own specially formulated catalysts.    

By using this combination of technologies, the SCRT(tm)simultaneously cuts all
four regulated pollutants contained in the exhaust of heavy trucks and buses.
It virtually eliminates carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions,
while reducing emissions of particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen
(NOx) by between 75 and 90%. The optimised SCRT(tm) is the first four-way
emission control system capable of meeting the world's most stringent
emissions legislation.

The new system will be launched commercially over the next few years, in line
with the introduction of strict emissions standards for heavy duty diesel
vehicles in Europe and the United States. When fully developed and in mass
production, the SCRT(tm) system will fit in the space occupied by a
conventional silencer and will meet industry cost targets for what will be an
OEM system.

Commenting on this announcement, Neil Carson, Executive Director, said:
'SCRT represents an exciting breakthrough in heavy duty diesel emission
control, enabling trucks and buses to meet the stringent standards that will
come into force over the next few years. It further reinforces Johnson
Matthey's position as world leader in vehicle emission control technology.' 

Speaking about the SCRT(tm) system at the SAE conference, Dr Barry Cooper,
Vice President, Technology said:

 'The industry is aware that we have been pursuing this development pathway
but this is the first time that details of the system have been made public.
It's still early days but we are already within the proposed European Stage 5
limits and all but meet the latest proposals for the US 2007 emissions
regulations, when the system is used in combination with sulphur free fuel'.  

Enquiries:

Neil Carson,      Executive Director                        020 7269 8449
Ian Godwin,       Group Corporate Communications Manager    020 7269 8410