If you've scanned over headlines, scrolled through local bulletins, or had the television news on for five minutes in the last week, the odds are you've come across AdBlue.
It is a trademark brand of urea-based diesel exhaust fluid – DEF – that acts an anti-pollutant in modern diesel engines.
It was mandated for trucks in 2011 to limit the amount of toxic nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere.
There are two different types of urea — a granular, agricultural variety used as fertiliser and a technical grade variety used for DEF.
The latter is a finer, more soluble form of the chemical.
Why are we short?
The price of urea has been rising consistently for the past 12 months and reached an all-time high in November.
China is one of the largest producers of urea and exports the product around the world, including to Australia.
Australia has found itself in trouble because China also uses urea for agriculture.
Like the rest of the world China is facing rising fertiliser costs.
So in order to keep a lid on the ever-rising prices in its domestic market, China has tightened its grip on supply and halted exports to Australia.
This has caused a shortage that has sent the Australian government scrambling to find a new source — and it would seem it has, for now at least.
A Federal government task force into the AdBlue shortage has struck a deal with Indonesia after a huge outcry from the transport industry.
How is this affecting the transport industry?
At the moment Australia has a stock of a little more than 15 million litres of DEF, which enough to meet about five weeks of business-as-usual demand, according to Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
But in the last few days the government has been working to secure new supplies from Indonesia and the Middle East.
AdBlue is a mandated DEF, which means trucking companies with modern trucks cannot legally drive without the additive.
But it would be unfeasible for the trucking industry to stop operating.
With or without AdBlue, the freight of goods and services is essential to Australian life, from Double Bay in Sydney to the Yuendumu Community in the Northern Territory.
Modern trucks have computer systems in them that program the vehicle to be mechanically reliant on using DEFs, but like all computers, they could be turned off by the manufacturers.
While the industry could technically continue to operate without AdBlue, serious legal issues might arise unless the government suspended the DEF mandate.
Will a shortage mean I can't drive my diesel car?
The short answer is that it depends on your vehicle.
Engines that require DEFs are relatively new and most diesels made before 2019 do not have any requirement for DEFs or AdBlue.
But it is important that you check with your car manufacturer.
The DEF product shortage, however, could affect you indirectly.
Due to the soaring cost of AdBlue, trucking companies have to pay more to deliver goods and that cost is being passed on at the supermarket.
If a solid supply is not found shortly and you need to keep the budget in check, your Christmas turkey or ham may need to be substituted for chicken or bacon.
So are we in a crisis?
Not quite.
A crisis should be avoidable provided swift action is taken to secure a reliable supply while looking for potential domestic production opportunities.
