The internal combustion engine decided to stay late - an engine that absorbs carbon dioxide is presented

Not long ago, the largest Japanese manufacturer Toyota, against the backdrop of a widespread passion for battery-powered electric vehicles, announced the launch of a major engine development project. And now the company has introduced its new product. It is said to be an internal combustion engine that absorbs carbon dioxide.


More specifically, the developer used new filtration system technology. It is powered by a hydrogen engine and is already being tested as part of the GR Corolla racing car. The meaning of the new system is that the captured carbon dioxide is converted into liquid solely due to the own temperature of the running motor.


Although past tests have confirmed the validity of this idea, the results are still very modest. So, in the 20 laps that the GR Corolla drove around the race track, the new “eco-engine” was able to filter out only 20 grams of CO₂. Of course, this is a “drop in the bucket” compared to the fact that when 1 liter of fuel is consumed, about 0,6 kg of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

Of course, if this system is used in combination with a hydrogen powertrain, the car will be carbon negative. Toyota, as well as other large automakers, are working on similar units. But at the same time, the company is confident that both hybrids and gasoline engines will remain “in service” for a long time.

Therefore, according to a representative of the Japanese auto giant, the new technology must prove its effectiveness in tandem with internal combustion engines running on gasoline. True, for now, based on the results of the experiment, to compensate for the average such motor, it will be necessary to replace the filters too often. And this is hardly rational and economically justified.


So, apparently, the company will continue to work in this direction. It is difficult to say whether they will be able to improve the result, and whether the new project will reach mass production. But, in any case, this is unlikely to happen soon.