AdBlue is a diesel exhaust fluid used in vehicles with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to reduce harmful gases being released into the atmosphere. AdBlue is a 32,5 % solution of high-purity, synthetically manufactured urea in de-mineralized water. It is a safe-to-use fluid¹ (to know more about AdBlue visit the following link: How does the Adblue SCR DEF system work?).

The availability of AdBlue, a crucial additive used in millions of trucks across the EU, has become a growing concern for the logistics industry. AdBlue is essential for meeting EU emission standards by reducing nitrogen-oxide emissions from diesel truck exhaust. Without AdBlue, vehicles are programmed to come to a halt after a short distance. However, Russia’s natural gas squeeze is spiking the price³ of AdBlue, raising fears of potential shortages.

The significance of lorries in transporting goods throughout Europe cannot be understated. According to Raluca Marian from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), three-quarters of all goods in the EU are transported by lorries. If AdBlue supplies were to deplete, half of the bloc’s 6.2 million heavy-duty vehicles would be unable to function² properly, resulting in empty supermarket shelves within days and breakdowns of essential services reliant on ambulances and fire engines².

The shortage of AdBlue can be traced back to the halt in production by SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz, a German chemicals company, due to exorbitant gas prices. This disruption, combined with constrained supply and higher costs faced by the remaining major producers basf of Germany and Yara of Norway, has caused the price of AdBlue to skyrocket. The price per liter has increased from 17 cents in August 2021 to €1.20², causing significant financial burdens for haulage firms and additional annual costs of up to €500,000² for companies with a few hundred lorries.

Mrs. Marian wants the European Commission to recognise AdBlue as an “essential product without which logistics chains would stop”². She suggests monitoring the availability of AdBlue on an EU-wide scale and creating official reserves. Although these proposals may seem ambitious, the shortage of AdBlue could potentially alleviate as gas-price controls and government schemes to mitigate the energy crisis come into effect in the EU.

1. What is AdBlue® | How does AdBlue® work?  | Yara International. (2022, August 23). Yara None. https://www.yara.com/industrial-nitrogen/adblue/
2. The Economist. (2022, November 10). A series of shortages threatens EU supply chains. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/business/2022/11/10/a-series-of-shortages-threatens-eu-supply-chains?utm_content=article-link-5&etear=nl_today_5&utm_campaign=a.the-economist-today&utm_medium=email.internal-newsletter.np&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=11/14/2022&utm_id=1388750
3. Cokelaere, H. (2022, October 8). Russia’s war threatens EU trucks with running out of puff. POLITICO. https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-war-ukraine-truck-natural-gas-adblue/#:~:text=Natural%20gas%20shortages%20are%20boosting,by%20many%20diesel%2Dpowered%20trucks.&text=Voiced%20by%20artificial%20intelligence.
4. GarageTech. (2018, January 21). How does the Adblue SCR DEF system work? Explained Diesel Exhaust Fluid Selective Catalyst Reduction [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzqOXVLyfEc
5. Yara International. (2020, July 8). AdBlue by Yara: Keeping the wheels turning [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haGiJsL-OPM
6. GarageTech. (2018b, January 21). How does the Adblue SCR DEF system work? Explained Diesel Exhaust Fluid Selective Catalyst Reduction [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzqOXVLyfEc