Biomass-Derived Activated Carbon for CO₂ Mitigation in Compression Ignition Engine Exhaust Systems | Chapter 7 | New Horizons of Science, Technology and Culture Vol. 8

 

Rapid industrialisation has intensified environmental pollution and global warming, with the automotive sector being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This study investigates an effective post-combustion CO₂ reduction approach for compression ignition (CI) engines using a modified exhaust adsorption system containing waste biomass–derived adsorbents. Activated carbon and biochar produced from coconut shell, rice husk, and eucalyptus wood through carbonisation and activation processes were evaluated for their CO₂ adsorption performance. Integration of a single adsorption chamber into the exhaust system achieved up to a 48% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to baseline operation, while the addition of a second chamber provided a further 16% reduction. Experiments were conducted on a single-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine, where baseline CO₂ emissions increased with engine load, reaching a maximum of 13.5%. After installing biochar and activated carbon filters, CO₂ emissions decreased significantly, with biochar showing superior performance at higher loads. The optimal configuration using blended diesel with activated carbon distributed across dual compartments reduced CO₂ emissions from 6.2% to 0.4% at maximum load. Concurrent reductions in CO, HC, and NOₓ emissions confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed adsorption system.

 

 

Author(s) Details

G. Balaji
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India.

 

D. Premnath
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India.

 

V. Rajasekar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India.

 

S. Natarajan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Pennalur Village, Sriperumbudur Tk, Tamil Nadu, 602117, India.

 

C. Karthikeyan
Department of Energy Science, Alagappa University, Karaikudi- 630003, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Kapilan Natesan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Yelahanka, Bangalore-560064, India.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nhstc/v8/7167