Does anyone know how to make adblue?

[Against_the_grain]

Am I right in thinking that adblue is basically liquid fertiliser. We use a lot here with the various machinery we operate and speaking to someone today they thought there would be scope to make our own, and potentially look at supplying it. I cant seem to find much on the internet about the production process.

Does anyone know anything more?

 

[Robt]

Yes mate it's basically liquid fert..... crack on and save a few pence.....

 

[holywell farmer]

Yes mate it's basically liquid fert..... crack on and save a few pence.....

Or buy it from official supply

 

[Against_the_grain]

What if I wanted to become the supplier though?!

 

[TripleSix]

It is synthetic urea.

32.5% urea dissolved in deionised water...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_exhaust_fluid

 

[sawdust]

Am I right in thinking that adblue is basically liquid fertiliser. We use a lot here with the various machinery we operate and speaking to someone today they thought there would be scope to make our own, and potentially look at supplying it. I cant seem to find much on the internet about the production process.

Does anyone know anything more?

If it was that easily made, all the big haulage firms would be making their own, as they will go through more in a week than most farms will use in a year

 

[Two Tone]

As far as I know it it just Urea in water at a certain concentration. Maybe if you get a floating hydrometer or the ones with balls in (like those used to tell you the concentration of Antifreeze in your engine/radiator), see what reading it gives for Adblue, then keep adding Urea fertiliser to water (Preferably warm enough to make it dissolve) till you get the same reading, you might end up with a home made Adblue.

Let me know if it works and I'll give it a go myself! Can't see why it shouldn't.

Adblue cannot contain anything else other than Urea and Water or the chemical equation as to how it it turns NOx into Nitrogen and water could not work.

Somebody told me that you could pee in the Adblue tank and it would work OK! It might depend on whether it was Friday night pee (inc. the Alcohol) or Monday night pee as to which works best. Especially if you had been eating Asparagus!

It is a total load of bollix that Adblue doesn't keep for more than a year. Keep it airtight and it will last for far longer. It's just the same bollix about not letting it freeze. Once thawed out (if it ever gets cold enough to actually freeze!), give it a stir and it is fine.

 

[DaveJ]

Purely academic as I don't have a tractor so equipped, but has anyone tried diluting AdBlue to see how far you can go before the computer twigs?

 

[Sandy]

Purely academic as I don't have a tractor so equipped, but has anyone tried diluting AdBlue to see how far you can go before the computer twigs?

When it first came out on lorries then it could be watered down but not now if you're that concerned about ad blue usage get it blanked off plenty firms do it now

 

[ridger]

I ran out in the lorry and it derated itself, put 2 gallons water in ad blue tank and she was fine again

 

[Mursal]

Was it sparkling?

 

[sawdust]

Was it sparkling?

hope not, he'd have been cheaper buying adblue

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Purely academic as I don't have a tractor so equipped, but has anyone tried diluting AdBlue to see how far you can go before the computer twigs?

You'd want to be careful in winter trying that as raising the water content will increase the freezing point from -11 towards 0. All systems pump out after use, but some will remain in and Murphy's law probably suggests something expensive could get frost damage.

Besides which on most systems now found in tractors it will derate/throw a code if the AB is too weak as the system knows the Nox level before and after the catalyst and how much it's pumping in. If something doesn't add up its derate / error code time.

During warranty, you're better off I reckon leaving well enough alone, using the proper spec AdBlue and not messing with it. There's precious little savings to be made watering it down and too many possible downsides.

 

[opininionated]

I've never needed add blue, is it costly?

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

I've never needed add blue, is it costly?

In the grand scheme of things not really. Less than 10p an hour mostly.

 

[opininionated]

Am I right in thinking that adblue is basically liquid fertiliser. We use a lot here with the various machinery we operate and speaking to someone today they thought there would be scope to make our own, and potentially look at supplying it. I cant seem to find much on the internet about the production process.

Does anyone know anything more?

If you don't mind me adapting your tag line, "if you think it's expensive using the proper gear, try using some home made stuff....."

 

[bravheart]

When first launched, local dealer punted an AB tractor pretty hard giving everyone a day. Eventually got complaints about no power etc. After analysis turned out someone's added water to AB tank.

To be fair not much AB on farm then.


Or maybe

just maybe

Green dealerships............

 

[Against_the_grain]

If you don't mind me adapting your tag line, "if you think it's expensive using the proper gear, try using some home made stuff....."

But I'm not talking about mixing a few batches up to save a few quid I'm thinking about perhaps making a business from producing it.

 

[Chae1]

When first launched, local dealer punted an AB tractor pretty hard giving everyone a day. Eventually got complaints about no power etc. After analysis turned out someone's added water to AB tank.

To be fair not much AB on farm then.


Or maybe

just maybe

Green dealerships............

Water in Ab tank will have no affect on tractors performance. Unless engine derated which would be obvious from error codes.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

But I'm not talking about mixing a few batches up to save a few quid I'm thinking about perhaps making a business from producing it.

I think it's the German association of auto manufacturers or something that owns the rights to the trade name, so you would need to approach them for approval to use. There are a couple of ISO standards which apply to the production and QA of the product. Hoops and £££