Could carbon capture help save the internal combustion engine?
Right now, the talk of the automotive town is electric propulsion. Some people are already driving electric vehicles (EVs). Others yearn to drive one. But some South Africans would dearly like to keep their cars that have an internal combustion engine (ICE). To answer this question, we first need to address the concept of carbon capture. According to the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, carbon capture and storage is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it is released into the atmosphere. The technology can capture up to 90% of CO2 released by burning fossil fuels. The challenge, of course, with cars is that theyre not like a factory producing cement  because the cars move while the factory doesnt. With cars, a different approach would probably be required. One workable solution has been mooted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, which has come up with a strategy to capture, store and eventually recycle carbon from vehicles. Essentially, its tech team has proposed capturing carbon emissions from conventional (fossil) liquid hydrocarbon-fuelled vehicles. Then the hydrogen would be separated from the carbon in the fuel. The hydrogen would power the car (with zero emissions, of course) and the carbon would be captured in liquid form (because, while in a liquid state, its easier to store and transport). After being stored onboard the car, it would be recycled back into fuel. George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, says it will be reassuring to lovers of ICE-powered vehicles to discover that these cars can be saved, in theory anyway. I have made the leap into an EV, and lots of other South Africans want to do the same. However, there are many motorists who are passionate about ICE vehicles  and I can understand why. After all, South Africans are petrolheads by nature. And, lets face it, nothing beats the gurgle of a brutal V8, but silence is equally appealing he points out. While it appears that carbon capture technology in ICE cars is some way off, it certainly does give petrolheads a glimmer of hope.