Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - (Page 18L) 18L • JULY 7, 2008 Researchers test capturing CO2 before it leaves the car Tony Lewin autonews@crain.com Hydrogen’s downside It is so light that it has to be compressed or chilled to –253 C for storage or transport. 1 liter of gasoline contains 2,900 times more energy than a liter of hydrogen gas. Pressurization absorbs 10% of the energy stored; liquefaction takes 30% to 40%. The energy used to pressurize or liquefy the gas is lost when the gas expands. With many countries planning legislation to slash carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks, developing low-CO2 vehicles has become a top priority for auto engineers. Net CO2 emissions can be reduced in three main ways: 1. Encourage people to drive less. 2. Make cars more fuel efficient. 3. Use different fuels or propulsion systems that emit less CO2, such as hydrogen fuel cell cars. But there is another idea: capturing a vehicle’s CO2 before it reaches the atmosphere. The concept is not new. In 2005, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change produced a report on carbon capture and storage. But the report focused on large, fixed CO2 emitters, such as power stations, and did not factor in carbon capture for transportation. Now scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta have come up with a concept that could lead to major reductions in net CO2 emissions from vehicles. The system, developed by Georgia Tech professor Andrei Fedorov, removes the carbon from hydrocarbon fuels before it enters the engine. This means the engine does not emit any CO2 as the vehicle travels. “The conventional internal combustion engine is a good candidate for this,” Fedorov told Automotive News Europe. “We simply decarbonize the fuel in a reformer before it reaches the engine. This separates the carbon from the hydrogen. “In the engine, we’re burning the resulting hydrogen and releasing heat, water and nitrogen.” An exhaust catalyst easily can deal with the small amount of nitrogen oxide, Fedorov said. This process will work with both gasoline and methanol. Upside of renewables Benefits of methanol and ethanol They can be synthesized from CO2. They are liquids at normal temperatures and pressures. They contain less energy than gasoline but more than stored hydrogen. Europe that on-board methanol processing is complex and faces many problems. “There are several issues here,” Hart said. “The methanol processor will be expensive, compressing the CO2 into liquid form must absorb energy, and a methanol fueling infrastructure would have to basically be completely new.” Lingering doubts Source: Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech researcher Andrei Fedorov envisions an on-board system in which the carbon in a vehicle’s fuel, such as methanol, is separated from the hydrogen and stored in a tank in liquid form, leaving the hydrogen to power the car. The CO2 is pumped out of the car at the filling station while the driver refuels with methanol. The waste CO2 is transported to a central site to be contained underground or processed back into methanol by adding hydrogen. We simply decarbonize the fuel in a reformer before it reaches the engine. ANDREI FEDOROV Georgia Institute of Technology “ The conventional internal combustion engine is a good candidate for this. Easier CO2 capture At the beginning of his research, Fedorov said, he quickly rejected trying to capture CO2 from the exhaust stream of a conventional engine. “It’s too diluted for this; it would take far too much energy to capture it, and the space requirement would be too great,” he said. More promising, he said, is ondemand fuel processing before ” combustion. Fedorov’s team is testing this strategy with methanol as the fuel. The key to the system is the fuel reactor, which removes the hydrogen from the fuel and leaves a byproduct rich in CO2. The CO2 is then compressed, liquefied and stored in a separate tank. Fedorov said that in the short to medium term, the CO2 byproduct could be pumped out of the car at a fueling station while the driver refilled the methanol tank. The waste CO2 would be trapped underground. In the longer term, the CO2 waste could be turned back into methanol by adding hydrogen. Leading hydrogen experts remain doubtful about carbon recapture. David Hart, head of fuel cell and hydrogen research at London’s Imperial College, told Automotive News Hart also finds it difficult to understand the economics of recapturing CO2 from a small moving object. “It would be better either to displace the carbon capture by doing something carbon neutral or to go to hydrogen,” he said. Jamie Turner, chief engineer for powertrain research at Lotus Engineering in the United Kingdom, also has doubts about carbon recapture. “There are some parallels with what we are proposing, but it will be expensive,” he said. “The common thread is that methanol is a much more practical energy carrier than hydrogen.” Georgia Tech’s Fedorov said that with strong support from industry, the program could move from the laboratory to a development vehicle within two to three years. c http://WWW.ANX.COM http://WWW.ANX.COM
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - July 7, 2008 Automotive News - July 7, 2008 Turnaround trouble: Mitsubishi back on the skids It's a panic — but don't panic CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED Japan's new diet plan: Slim down, ounce by ounce Amid sale rumors, Volvo has upmarket plans Reynolds sues dealer over computer upgrade Chrysler and dealers to improve Internet marketing strategies Seat strategy: Lear aims to make more profits by producing more parts Nissan: Despite a truck glut, Titan gets no more incentives American Axle cuts staff; boosts India business, CEO bonus Bosch sees N.A. red ink this year Bill Mitchell's designs blew away the past Hyundai Santa Fe to get a 4-cylinder GM Europe exec: Curbing CO2 is 'around the clock' effort Supplier input varies in Nissan's tech plans Great Wall becomes Chrysler's 2nd Chinese partner Steel prices nudge up Nano's costs Analyst: GM could tap UAW benefits fund Automakers create opportunities for Mexican molders Chrysler pitches gas savings on hybrid SUVs Researchers test capturing CO2 before it leaves the car Some execs win even when their companies lose Tata's personal touch Show me the money Obituaries Study: Dealership service shops extend their hours New Web tool promotes GM service Fiat CEO Marchionne is Industry Leader of Year Jim O'Sullivan Johan de Nysschen Sergio Marchionne Ratan Tata Dick Colliver Fritz Henderson Martin Thall Jim Farley Jack Stavana Roger Penske Walter de' Silva Mike Stanton Tim Manganello David Friedman Jim Hallett Larry Jutte Kim Kosak Ron Gettelfinger Tom Stephens Bob Lutz Tom Shoupe Jay Amestoy June caps a dismal first half Personnel Auto roof rule due by Oct. 1 Mitsubishi dumps 9 ad associations Small-car transaction prices rise in June Turbo taboo may end for BMW M's The mpg fracas: Pick your favorite fairy tale Great news? Analysts shun the Kool-Aid at Chrysler And now, from Wall Street, a short tale of terror VW tells builders: Plan for Southeast plant Dodging a bullet: Half-off deal busts dealer's Ram jam To run the train, should you be an engineer? Automotive News - July 7, 2008 Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED (Page 1) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED (Page 2) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Amid sale rumors, Volvo has upmarket plans (Page 3) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Seat strategy: Lear aims to make more profits by producing more parts (Page 4) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Seat strategy: Lear aims to make more profits by producing more parts (Page 5) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Hyundai Santa Fe to get a 4-cylinder (Page 6) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Hyundai Santa Fe to get a 4-cylinder (Page 7) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Analyst: GM could tap UAW benefits fund (Page 8) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Analyst: GM could tap UAW benefits fund (Page 9) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Chrysler pitches gas savings on hybrid SUVs (Page 10) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Chrysler pitches gas savings on hybrid SUVs (Page 11) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 12) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 13) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 14) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 15) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 16) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 17) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18A) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18B) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18C) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18D) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18E) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18F) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18G) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18H) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18I) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18J) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18K) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18L) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - New Web tool promotes GM service (Page 19) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Dick Colliver (Page 20) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Walter de' Silva (Page 21) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Larry Jutte (Page 22) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 23) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 24) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 25) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 26) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 27) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 28) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - June caps a dismal first half (Page 29) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Personnel (Page 30) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Mitsubishi dumps 9 ad associations (Page 31) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Small-car transaction prices rise in June (Page 32) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Small-car transaction prices rise in June (Page 33) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - To run the train, should you be an engineer? (Page 34) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - To run the train, should you be an engineer? (Page 35) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - To run the train, should you be an engineer? (Page 36)
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