Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) is an aqueous urea solution made with 32.5% urea and 67.5% deionized water. It is standardized as AUS 32 (aqueous urea solution) in ISO 22241.[3] DEF is used as a consumable in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) in order to lower NOx concentration in the diesel exhaust emissions from diesel engines.
Diesel engines can be run with a lean burn air-to-fuel ratio (over stoichiometric ratio), to ensure the full combustion of soot and to prevent them exhausting unburnt fuel. The excess of air necessarily leads to generation of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are harmful pollutants, from the nitrogen in the air. Selective catalytic reduction is used to reduce the amount of NOx released into the atmosphere. Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) from a separate tank is injected into the exhaust pipeline, where the aqueous urea vaporizes and decomposes to form ammonia and carbon dioxide. Within the SCR catalyst, the NOx are catalytically reduced by the ammonia (NH3) into water ( H2O) and nitrogen (N2), which are both harmless; and these are then released through the exhaust.
DEF is a 32.5% solution of urea, (NH2)2CO. When it is injected into the hot exhaust gas stream, the water evaporates and the urea thermally decomposes to form ammonia and isocyanic acid:
(NH2)2CO → NH3 + HNCO
The isocyanic acid hydrolyses to carbon dioxide and ammonia:
HNCO + H2O → CO2 + NH3
Overall, this is
(NH2)2CO + H2O → 2 NH3 + CO2
From this point, ammonia, in the presence of oxygen and a catalyst, will reduce nitrogen oxides:[6]
2 NO + 2 NH3 + 1⁄2 O2 → 2 N2 + 3 H2O and 3 NO2 + 4 NH3 → 3 1⁄2 N2 + 6 H2O
The overall reduction of NOx by urea is:
2 (NH2)2CO + 4 NO + O2 → 4 N2 + 4 H2O + 2 CO2 and 2 (NH2)2CO + 3 NO2 → 2 1⁄2 N2 + 4 H2O + 2 CO2