Filters on buses can improve UB air quality
The majority of Ulaanbaatar’s residents rely on public buses as their main source of transport. Despite this, the public transport system is often the subject of heavy criticism, mainly due to the copious amounts of carbon monoxide emitted from buses. Buses, cars, and vehicles alike contribute to about 20 percent of Ulaanbaatar’s air pollution. As a result, for the past few years, discussion on the environmental implications of the transit system has been increasing. The Ministry of Transportation has been under pressure to switch the energy source from cheap fuels to something that is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. However, no actual plan has been implemented until this year.
The Ministry of Transportation, in partnership with Air Pollution Reduction Department of Ulaanbaatar, are in the process of testing the effects of placing filters on the exhaust pipes of buses. It is estimated that this filter will be placed on around 1,000 public busses. The Ministry of Transportation has also been working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Mongolia. But this process has not been as straightforward as expected as the selection and placement process has been tedious and time consuming.
However, there have been persistent efforts and this study has been conducted on multiple different types of buses with three types of filters in order to determine the most effective solution says engineer Ch. Altangerel. The filters must be changed every 250 km traveled. On average, Ulaanbaatar’s public buses travel approximately 200-300 km in a single day. This means that these filters must be replaced every day.
Additionally, the filters cannot be carelessly tossed away, the reusable parts must be cleaned and the disposable parts must be properly disposed of due to the large amount of toxic material on them. In order to do this, specialists equipped with the skills and technology have to be ready at hand. The filters must also be monitored throughout the day in order to make sure that it is working properly. Monitoring and maintenance tasks such as these can be very costly. Each filter will have its own individual code and when removed for cleaning, the amount of material filtered can be determined. By examining this, the condition of the bus can be assessed which will determine whether or not the bus should be taken to repair or if operation can continue.
The study shows that, on average, a single bus produces 150-270 grams of carbon deposit in a single day. With the new filters, 95-97 percent of carbon emissions can be prevented.
According to an examination conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency on nine buses, 32 kilograms of carbon waste accumulated in the filters within two months. In Ulaanbaatar, there are a total of 930 buses that are in operation every day. If this filter is to be placed on all of them, air pollution will decrease considerably. As of now, there are 24 buses that have this filter. This means that approximately 157.5 kilograms of carbon waste is being eliminated in these filters and prevented from being released into the air that we breathe.
But placing filters on buses is easier said than done. The placement of one of these filters is estimated to cost over 25 million MNT. If this filter is to be used on nearly 1,000 buses, 25 billion MNT will be required. This is only the initial cost, not including maintenance costs. And once a filter has been placed on one bus, it cannot be used on another. Once they have been purchased, it is said that the filters are durable and can be used for a long period of time if handled correctly.
With the placement of filters on buses, Ulaanbaatar’s air quality can be significantly improved, thus leading to a cleaner and safer environment. This will also reduce the amount of damage inflicted on the ozone layer. But this will come at a cost that many believe Mongolia cannot afford.