Is Automotive Urea Harmful to Humans?
1 Answers
Under normal circumstances, automotive urea is not harmful to humans (if it comes into contact with the skin, simply rinse it off with plenty of soapy water or clean water, but be sure to avoid contact with eyes or ingestion). However, under high-temperature conditions, automotive urea may release ammonia gas, which can have corrosive and irritating effects on human skin tissue. Prolonged exposure to ammonia gas may lead to symptoms such as skin pigmentation or ulcers. Below is relevant information: 1. Function of automotive urea: Automotive urea can catalyze the reduction of nitrogen oxides in diesel vehicle exhaust into harmless nitrogen (N2) and water in the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system. 2. Composition of automotive urea: Automotive urea consists of 32.5% high-purity urea and 67.5% deionized water. 3. Working process of automotive urea in the SCR system: The SCR is a closed-loop injection system. When exhaust gases exit the engine combustion chamber, an electric pump draws an adequate amount of urea solution from the urea tank as instructed by the electronic control unit. The urea solution is mixed and atomized with compressed air and then evenly injected into the exhaust through the injection pipeline via the urea nozzle. At this point, the urea solution rapidly decomposes under high temperature and simultaneously undergoes a catalytic reduction reaction with NO, ultimately producing harmless N2 and water for discharge.
