CORNWALL Council has been awarded a grant of £236,650 to trial innovative new technology with the potential to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.

The grant has been awarded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of this year’s Air Quality Grant Scheme.

Cornwall has seven Air Quality Management Areas in Cornwall, including Gunnislake, all of which have excessive levels of traffic-related nitrogen dioxide.

Cornwall Council and CORMAC will be working with Water Fuel Engineering Ltd on the trial. Water Fuel Engineering has pioneered the development and production of autonomous electrolysers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen and use the hydrogen as fuel.

The electrolysers can be used in vehicles alongside conventional fuels such as diesel, petrol and LPG to save fuel and reduce emissions.

The trial will involve retro-fitting the electrolysers to ten Cornwall Council and CORMAC fleet vehicles, including road sweepers, tippers, vans and lorry mounted cranes.

As the vehicles carry out their normal work, their emissions of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and carbon will be monitored to measure the reductions achieved by using the electrolysers.