According to its creators, it is a “revolutionary” engine that both meets the regulation on emissions planned for 2040 and also has high efficiency. The first two prototype builds of this engine will be produced in the coming months, funded by the Valencian Agency for Innovation.

The technology used for the new ICE design is based on using MIEC ceramic membranes. Patented by the Institute of Chemical Technology, a mixed centre of the UPV and CSIC, these membranes remove all gases that are contaminating and harmful for health (NOx), capturing its own CO2 and the environmental CO2 and liquefying it.

“These membranes, included in the engine of the vehicle, enable the selective separation of oxygen from the air to produce the oxycombustion. This way, a pure combustion gas is generated, composed of water and CO2, which can be captured inside the vehicle and stored, without having it expelled from the exhaust pipe,” explained José Manuel Serra, researcher at the ITQ (UPV-CSIC).

The technology developed by the UPV research team could make it possible to have an engine with the autonomy and refuelling capabilities of a conventional ICE, but with the advantage of being completely clean and without any type of contaminating or greenhouse effect emissions, similar to electric vehicle engines.

With this technology, the vehicle could also become a supplier of CO2. As the researchers explain, in a conventional engine a large amount of nitrogen and nitrogen oxides are generated in the exhaust pipe after the oxycombustion. However, in the case of this new engine design, only a very high concentration of CO2 and water are generated, which can easily be separated by condensing.

“This CO2 is compressed inside the engine and is stored in a pressure tank, which could be returned as a by-product, directly as pure high-quality CO2, in a service station, for an industrial use. This way, inside the vehicle we would have a tank for fuel and another for the CO2 that is generated after burning the fuel and which we could draw value from,” said Luis Miguel García-Cuevas.

The technology is aimed at manufacturers of large vehicles for carrying passengers and goods, both on land and sea, and for aviation up to a certain level of power. Furthermore, it could also be used to transform current diesel engines into special vehicles.

“In the case of smaller vehicles, it could also be applied by sequestering only part of the CO2 in the exhaust,” said Francisco José Arnau, fellow researcher at the CMT-Thermal Motors of the UPV.

The team is now constructing two prototypes on a laboratory scale of this “revolutionary system for the automotive sector”.

“Having the positive valuation and funding of the Valencian Agency for Innovation entails being able to take the concept to high levels of technological development. With this, it will be possible to attract the attention of private investors who want to license the patent or fund spin-offs to make these engines a reality, which would change the paradigm of the fight against climate change from the viewpoint of transportation,” said José Ramón Serrano, researcher at the CMT-Thermal Motors of the UPV.

According to its creators, it is a “revolutionary” engine that both meets the regulation on emissions planned for 2040 and also has high efficiency. The first two prototype builds of this engine will be produced in the coming months, funded by the Valencian Agency for Innovation.

The technology used for the new ICE design is based on using MIEC ceramic membranes. Patented by the Institute of Chemical Technology, a mixed centre of the UPV and CSIC, these membranes remove all gases that are contaminating and harmful for health (NOx), capturing its own CO2 and the environmental CO2 and liquefying it.

“These membranes, included in the engine of the vehicle, enable the selective separation of oxygen from the air to produce the oxycombustion. This way, a pure combustion gas is generated, composed of water and CO2, which can be captured inside the vehicle and stored, without having it expelled from the exhaust pipe,” explained José Manuel Serra, researcher at the ITQ (UPV-CSIC).

The technology developed by the UPV research team could make it possible to have an engine with the autonomy and refuelling capabilities of a conventional ICE, but with the advantage of being completely clean and without any type of contaminating or greenhouse effect emissions, similar to electric vehicle engines.

With this technology, the vehicle could also become a supplier of CO2. As the researchers explain, in a conventional engine a large amount of nitrogen and nitrogen oxides are generated in the exhaust pipe after the oxycombustion. However, in the case of this new engine design, only a very high concentration of CO2 and water are generated, which can easily be separated by condensing.

“This CO2 is compressed inside the engine and is stored in a pressure tank, which could be returned as a by-product, directly as pure high-quality CO2, in a service station, for an industrial use. This way, inside the vehicle we would have a tank for fuel and another for the CO2 that is generated after burning the fuel and which we could draw value from,” said Luis Miguel García-Cuevas.

The technology is aimed at manufacturers of large vehicles for carrying passengers and goods, both on land and sea, and for aviation up to a certain level of power. Furthermore, it could also be used to transform current diesel engines into special vehicles.

“In the case of smaller vehicles, it could also be applied by sequestering only part of the CO2 in the exhaust,” said Francisco José Arnau, fellow researcher at the CMT-Thermal Motors of the UPV.

The team is now constructing two prototypes on a laboratory scale of this “revolutionary system for the automotive sector”.

“Having the positive valuation and funding of the Valencian Agency for Innovation entails being able to take the concept to high levels of technological development. With this, it will be possible to attract the attention of private investors who want to license the patent or fund spin-offs to make these engines a reality, which would change the paradigm of the fight against climate change from the viewpoint of transportation,” said José Ramón Serrano, researcher at the CMT-Thermal Motors of the UPV.