Press Room

Clovis Unified School District and Lubrizol Demonstrate Clean Air Breakthrough

Valley CAN-Funded Demonstration Project Shows Value of Diesel Alternative in Reducing Emissions

CLOVIS - Valley Clean Air Now (Valley CAN), a San Joaquin Valley non-profit group created to help support and promote real-world solutions to improve the region's air quality, today announced the initial results of a grant partnership with Clovis Unified School District (CUSD) and The Lubrizol Corporation. This school-year long project will demonstrate the performance of pollution reducing fuel powered by Lubrizol's PuriNOxT Technology, a low-emission diesel fuel system that reduces emission of nitrogen oxides by up to 30 percent and harmful particulate matter up to 65 percent.

PuriNOxT Technology allows fuel producers to safely blend water with diesel fuel to significantly reduce engine emissions without engine modification or replacement. PuriNOxT-powered fuel will be used alone in 19 diesel buses without further modifications. Six additional buses operating on PuriNOx-powered fuel will undergo modifications with the installation of Lubrizol Engine Control Systems (ECS) Purifier or PurimufflerT oxidation catalysts or PurifilterT particulate filters, which will further reduce particulate emissions for an overall particulate emissions reduction of as much as 85 percent. This will be the first demonstration of this combination of PuriNOxT-powered fuel and ECS after treatment emissions control equipment on a school bus fleet.

During the 2003-2004 school year, 25 of the district's diesel buses - half the total diesel bus fleet - will use the new clean-burning fuel. An estimated 1.5 tons of nitrogen oxide pollutants will be removed from the air by this pilot program.

CUSD today held an event at their Transportation Garage to release initial testing results for the project. Sixty students from the Center for Advanced Research and Technology, a joint venture of CUSD and Fresno Unified School District, conducted tests of the relative effectiveness of the fuel and emissions equipment versus an unmodified bus.

"As a school transportation professional, I've considered and tested nearly every emissions-reduction system available for school buses over the past 20 years," said Joe Bjerke, transportation director at Clovis Unified School District. "There are several reasons we've chosen to convert to PuriNOxT-powered fuel and ECS emissions control equipment. It is simple, requiring only minor adjustments to our current equipment. The results are both instantaneous and real. Best of all, fuel costs are manageable and will be partially offset by decreases in our maintenance costs."

Valley CAN's $39,200 grant will fund purchase and installation of the after-treatment devices from ECS in CUSD buses as well as a portion of the cost to utilize PuriNOx-powered fuel. Additional funds from the California Air Resources Board will further subsidize the supply and delivery of the fuel to the point that the overall demonstration cost to the Clovis USD is essentially zero.

"Partnerships with Valley businesses, schools and organizations working together to clean our air is at the heart of the Valley CAN commitment," said Gus Freshwater, president of Valley CAN. "As the benefits of cooperative approaches to improving air quality become clear, we expect to sponsor many similar ventures in the future."

Valley CAN encourages the active participation of community and business leaders who are serious about immediate, actionable and quantifiable solutions to air quality problems. Valley CAN accepts grant applications for clean-air projects on an ongoing basis. Applications can be found on the Valley CAN website at www.valley-can.org.

The Lubrizol Corporation (NYSE:LZ) is a global provider of specialty additives and fluid technologies. These high-performance technologies focus on chemicals, systems and services for transportation and industry. The company's customers use its technology to enhance a wide variety of end-use products, including engine lubricants and fuel; gear oils and other vehicle-related fluids; hydraulic fluids and emission control systems; greases and industrial fluids; personal care products and industrial cleaners; paints, coatings and inks; and mining chemicals. Lubrizol was founded in 1928 and owns and operates 34 manufacturing plants in 15 countries. The Wickliffe, Ohio-based company has 50 sales and technical offices and approximately 5,200 employees worldwide. Its three research centers are located in Wickliffe, Ohio; Hazelwood, England; and Kinuura, Japan. The company had revenues of $1.98 billion and earnings of $118.5 million in 2002. For more information, visit www.lubrizol.com.

ECS, a division of The Lubrizol Corporation, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of exhaust control technologies to the transportation, mining, construction, and material handling markets. ECS' standard components and custom-designed systems are engineered to meet the ever-tightening regulatory requirements for vehicle emissions.