Experimental evaluation of an ammonia-based post-combustion device for reduction of vehicular exhaust emissions

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering & Technology, G H Raisoni University, Pandhurna, MP, India
² Department of Pharmacy, Anuradha College of Pharmacy, Chikhali, MH, India
³ Department of Pharmacy, Nagpur College of Pharmacy, Nagpur, MH, India
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, Adarsh Institute of Pharmacy, Nagpur, MH, India
⁵ Department of Pharmacy, G H Raisoni Institute of Life Sciences, Nagpur, MH, India

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 1 July 2026

Abstract

Exhaust emission from vehicles plays a vital role in urban air pollution and associated health and environmental problems. Despite the presence of strict emission norms, a considerable number of working vehicles continue to emit pollutants, sometimes even beyond permissible limits. The current paper reports the proof-of-concept experimental study on an advanced ammonia-based post-combustion emission control system where the exhaust gases are allowed to pass through a closed tank filled with liquid ammonia before being released into the atmosphere. Emission parameters were evaluated using standard Pollution Under Control (PUC) equipment for diesel and petrol cars in a five-day period, both with and without the device. Based on the experimental results, there was a substantial drop in emission levels. In case of diesel cars, average reductions of around 71 - 74% in CO, HC, and NO_x emissions were observed. For petrol cars, the CO and HC emissions decreased by 40 - 62% and 64 - 74%, respectively, depending on the conditions. It was mainly attributed to the adsorption, neutralization reaction, and ammonia-induced reduction reactions occurring between gases and liquids. An initial qualitative GC-MS analysis of the spent ammonia solution was carried out to determine the properties of adsorbed compounds; however, it is considered an exploratory study. This study shows that the ammonia-based post-combustion technology can effectively serve as another emission reduction technique for in-service vehicles. This short-term and steady-state investigation clearly demonstrates the potential of this technology as a cost-effective and retrofittable measure for emission reduction from vehicles, which requires further research.