Study on CO ₂ Absorption via Atomization Utilizing Surface Texturing and Surface Energy for Small Engine Applications

In response to the stringent CO₂ regulations set to be enforced in Europe in 2030, there is a global demand for innovative technologies to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions from internal combustion engines used in trucks, ships, and other applications. For this reason, future power sources are anticipated to adopt a three-pronged approach: electrification; hydrogen fuel used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines; and synthetic fuels (e-fuels) produced from renewable energy-sourced hydrogen, as approved by the European Commission (EC), and from raw materials that capture CO₂ directly from the atmosphere via the Direct Air Capture (DAC) method, combined with internal combustion engines. In this study, we aimed to absorb and capture “Green” CO₂ emissions from e-fuel and carbon-neutral (CN) fuels combined with internal combustion engines by investigating a method that atomizes a CO₂-absorbing solution. This approach involved spraying the solution and impingement the droplets within the exhaust pipe to promote surface absorption reactions with CO₂ in the gas flow. By spraying an amine-based CO₂ absorbent onto an impingement plate that has been especially surface textured and further treated with heating, we were able to enhance the surface area and control the surface energy of the CO₂ absorbent. This approach opens up new possibilities for improved CO₂ absorption reactions.