Greening AdBlue

It already cuts harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel engines but, by reducing the carbon footprint of this diesel exhaust fluid, industry players are making AdBlue’s production and supply more sustainable, as JULIA TEW reports.

While AdBlue no longer dominates headlines as it did during the global shortages of recent years, it remains a strategic consumable for commercial vehicles, which accounted for nearly 62% of the global AdBlue market in 2025. For heavy trucks, buses and modern diesel fleets fitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, the use of AdBlue is mandatory, with any disruption to supply, quality or pricing carrying significant operational consequences.

Around 85% of new heavy-duty diesel vehicles globally are SCR-equipped and require AdBlue. Commercial fleets typically consume around five to six litres per 100 litres of diesel, equating to a monthly AdBlue demand running into the hundreds of litres per vehicle.

A less-publicised AdBlue talking point likely to enter boardroom conversations (in 2026 and beyond) emphasises minimising the fluid’s carbon footprint, enabling operators to lower Scope 3 emissions associated with its use. This will become increasingly relevant as zero-emission vehicles such as battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks move closer to becoming dominant technologies. 

Low-carbon certified products

“There is an increasing demand for products with a reduced carbon footprint,” notes Dr Jens Assmann, vice president of Nitrogen Based Chemicals & Amino Resins at BASF. This major chemical producer launched a low-carbon AdBlue product in 2024 called AdBlue ZeroPCF. It has a certified product carbon footprint (PCF) of less than 0.05kg of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per kilogram of AdBlue, compared to about 0.4kg CO₂/kg for standard products.

BASF achieves this reduction through a “mass balance” approach to production incorporating renewable energy and sustainable raw materials, certified by TÜV Rheinland under ISO 14067 standards. AdBlue ZeroPCF is also an essential part of BASF’s path to climate neutrality and net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. Japanese green materials producer Mitsui Chemicals also uses the mass balance method to manufacture Bio AdBlue, which since June 2025 has been used by international logistics firm Sankyu in several chemical tanker trucks.

While using low-carbon AdBlue will not decarbonise an entire diesel fleet, it can eliminate up to 90% of the fluid’s embedded carbon footprint. For large fleets, this equates to thousands of tonnes of Scope 3 CO₂ emissions avoided annually, making it a credible transitional decarbonisation lever as operators aim to bridge the gap between diesel dependence and zero-emission vehicles.

Decarbonising production

Large producers of ammonia and related chemicals – critical feedstocks for urea and AdBlue – are also investing in process decarbonisation. Yara International has invested around US$500 million in decarbonising production processes and infrastructure over recent years, with the aim of offering lower-carbon AdBlue. At its Sluiskil facility in the Netherlands, efforts include CO₂ capture and liquefaction (expected to handle about 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually). It’s one of Europe’s largest such projects targeting emissions linked to ammonia/urea production.

Yara is also deploying renewable hydrogen production capacity via a 24-MW green hydrogen plant in Norway that can support cleaner feedstock generation.

Production fuelled by renewables

A similar case study involves UK manufacturer GreenChem and its partner Brooke Energy. Traditional production of AdBlue involves dissolving urea in water, a process that typically requires heating – often fuelled by natural gas or other fossil fuels. Using biomass such as waste wood instead of fossil fuels to generate heat dramatically lowers the carbon footprint of the heating step. This also diverts waste from landfill, promotes a more circular economy and generates electricity for the grid, amplifying environmental benefits.

Greener packaging and distribution

Innovations in packaging and logistics can also contribute to lowering the lifecycle emissions associated with AdBlue. Commercial Fuel Solutions (CFS) in the UK encourages its customers to use more carbon-efficient bulk storage tanks, while acknowledging that smaller operations often depend on drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). In order to address this, CFS transitioned all AdBlue drum products to containers that are fully recyclable and incorporate 30% recycled material. This shift is projected to reduce the carbon impact by 3.8kg per drum.

“Furthermore, an improved IBC supply process now includes a ‘fair wear and tear’ policy, replacing the internal bottle of IBCs at no extra cost, cutting carbon impact by 97.5kg CO₂e per container lifecycle,” notes CFS managing director Robin Futcher.

Big picture takeaway

While the fundamental chemistry of AdBlue (urea + water) hasn’t changed, reducing the carbon intensity of the inputs and processes could create tangible emissions benefits that align with broader industrial decarbonisation trends and ESG reporting requirements.

“Sustainable products are playing an increasingly important role in all customer industries,” states Assmann. This is particularly true in regions adopting or tightening Euro 5 and Euro 6 emissions standards. Thanks to supplier innovation, customers can be supported in achieving their fleet’s sustainability goals, while AdBlue producers like GreenChem can live up to their motto: “Let’s make the environment cleaner.”