BASF has launched a trap which absorbs engine hydrocarbons.
The EvapTrap automotive air intake system is the latest technology that forms a hydrocarbon trap. Applied directly to the surface of a vehicle’s existing air intake box, the product - made by German-based manufacturer BASF - absorbs hydrocarbons emitted from the vehicle's engine.
The most significant innovation is that the system avoids increasing exhaust backpressure, a problem which has been common to 'traditional' solutions which often add an activated carbon honeycomb or filter to the air intake box which, according to BASF, can reduce fuel economy and horsepower.
EvapTrap meets California's Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV which becomes effective in 2015, and has been SHED (Sealed Housing for Evaporative Determination) tested for fuel emissions not related to engine exhaust.