German city of Kiel tests nitrogen oxide removal device to avoid diesel bans

The northern German city of Kiel is about to test an extraction system that removes nitrogen oxide (NOx) from the atmosphere to reduce pollution and avoid driving bans for older diesel cars, Michael Kluth writes in the Kieler Nachrichten. The van-sized device made by the company Purevento will be installed next to an exhaust gas measurement system by the end of January. Kiel’s mayor Ulf Kämpfer said the company also wants to offer the extraction device to other cities that are at risk of having to enforce driving bans because the NOx levels in the air exceed European limit values. If the trial phase is successful, the city will install several devices in order to bring down air pollution levels in Kiel. “We will clutch at any straw” to avoid diesel driving bans, the head of Kiel’s environmental protection agency, Andreas von der Heydt, told the newspaper.