The plasmatron is a beer can sized device that ignites an air-diesel fuel mixture into a plasma that releases hydrogen and carbon monoxide that reacts with the noxious NOx, transforming it into nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water.

Devices such as the plasmatron will be needed in the commercial trucking industry to meet strict new emission laws going into effect in Europe soon and in the U. S. by 2007. The Environmental Protection Agency has mandated a 92% reduction in the amount of NOx emitted from a truck tailpipe by that time.

An extensive article on the plasmatron also appeared in the June 7 issue of the Indianapolis Star (http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/152874-3348-P.html). The article quotes fusion researcher Dan Cohn of MIT, one of the inventors of the Plasmatron, as saying the device could reduce tailpipe emission by 90% and improve mileage as much as 25%.