Diretrizes sobre os limites de emissões de poluentes de motores de máquinas agrícolas no Brasil

Abstract

Agriculture is directly associated with climate change issues and is one of the main sectors of the economy responsible for global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Part of the emissions comes from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil used as a source of energy for the performance of internal combustion engines of agricultural machinery. Therefore, these elements have a direct influence on the amount of pollutants that are emitted into the environment. In order to reduce the negative impacts on air quality and the environment caused by the burning of fossil fuels in the engines of the agricultural machinery, programs have been developed to control emissions of atmospheric pollutants. In Brazil, the maximum permissible pollutant emission limits for each engine power range for agricultural machinery is the Air Pollution Control Program for Motor Vehicles for Road and Agricultural Machines-phase I (PROCONVE MAR-I). Brazilian regulations follow the standards of control based on the United States of America and the European Union. Thus, to achieve the concentrations of pollutants determined by legislation, new engines are being developed with electronic fuel injection system and exhaust after treatment systems. These are alternatives used to mitigate the impact of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Thus, the objective of the study is to verify how Brazilian manufacturers are adapting their engine designs for agricultural machinery to the new rules determined by PROCONVE MAR-I. As a complement, we seek to analyze patent publications in order to identify which post-treatment systems for agricultural machine engines are being developed and which are the main manufacturers in the Brazilian market. The research adopted the procedures of survey and Systematic Bibliographic Review as research methods, classified as descriptive and comparative, of an exploratory nature. For the collection of patent data the Questel Orbit Platform was used in the time interval between 2006 and 2017. As contributions, the research presented an overview of the implementation and acceptability of PROCONVE MAR-I by the agricultural machine manufacturers, in order to facilitate understanding of the impacts of legislation, so as to assist in the achievement of the subsequent stages of regulation. With regard to patent analysis, the main claimed technologies recovered in the searches are largely characterized by improving the performance of turbocharged engines and by the increase of exhaust after treatment systems. Finally, it was found that PROCONVE MAR-I is also characterized by being an agent of innovation in compliant companies.