A Chinese research team has developed an affordable solution to diesel engine emissions, opening the door for expanded use of the cheaper-than-gasoline fuel.

The new engine features a catalytic filter designed to collect soot and remove oxidized nitrogen -- the two major products of diesel exhaust.

The team, comprised of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Normal University, said the new diesel engine design is likely to meet the European III emission standards if the solution is used.

Team coordinator Zhuang Yahui told China Daily a package of suggestions has been submitted advising Beijing to use the new engine, which could substantially reduce air pollution in the capital.

"Tests have shown the solution is cheap and policy makers should consider it," said Zhuang, a professor with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the academy.

At present, many of the city's vehicles run on gasoline and natural gas, but some trucks still consume diesel fuel. Exhaust from diesel engines is a major contributor to air-borne particles, the main pollutants in Beijing.

Cheng Ying, an official with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said the new engine design could be economically and environmentally useful in achieving the Chinese capital's lofty goal of cleaning up air pollution during the coming years.

Despite the government's best efforts, including switching from coal to natural gas as a preferred fuel, phasing out leaded gasoline and greening unpaved land, Beijing continues to have only fair air quality most of the time.

Zhuang's group has been involved in a seven-year research program funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

Eight Asian developing countries including China, India and Viet Nam have participated in the program, which is aimed at finding technical solutions for dealing with waste water, solid waste, air pollution and hazardous waste.

Beijing is one of the six Asian cities conducting research on improving air quality since the program started in 2001.

Over the past several years researchers have monitored spatial and temporal distributions of particulate matter pollution in the six cities and submitted suggestions to improve air quality.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and its Japanese partners recently signed an agreement to expand ecological defenses for Beijing and adjacent areas.

According to the second-phase agreement on the project, the Toyota Motor Company will donate 150 million Japanese yen (US1.42 million) to plant trees in Fengning County of North China's Hebei Province.

The initiative, which started this month and runs until March 2007, will cover some 1,000 hectares of land and provide a screen against the sandstorms that plague Beijing.

The Chinese and Japanese sides have carried out the first phase of the project, covering an area of 1,500 hectares.

Since 2001, about a dozen serious sandstorms have affected many cities in North China.

(China Daily April 9, 2004)