Key Takeaways
- Porsche has patented a new means of carbon capture for ambient carbon dioxide in the air.
- The new design reduces the amount of water needed in the process by recirculating existing moisture.
- Enhanced efficiency helps overcome one of the major hurdles in making synthetic fuel viable for the mass market.
We’re no strangers to seeing Porsche patent innovative technologies, with half a dozen turbocharger and combustion patents discovered by CarBuzz in the last few years from the Stuttgart-based automaker, but the latest patent we’ve discovered published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 23 2024 may be one of the most important, as it suggests Porsche wants to suck its tailpipe emissions right out of the air in a bid to save the combustion engine in the 911 – even if the 911 is about to be revealed with its first-ever hybrid engine tomorrow. But you don’t have to worry about a contraption being stuck on the back of your sports car to vacuum up exhaust gases as you drive, as Porsche’s invention will likely never be one you see…
Porsche
Porsche is a German sports car manufacturer and part of the broader Volkswagen Group since August 2012. Founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the brand is most famous for the 911 line of sports cars, which first launched in September 1963. But it was the Porsche 356 that came first, and subsequently, Porsche has expanded its model lineup to include a variety of sports cars, supercars, SUVs, sedans, and even EVs. Porsche has a rich history in motorsport, with 19 outright Le Mans victories to its name, among various other titles.
- Founded
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1948
- Founder
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Ferdinand Porsche
- Headquarters
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Stuttgart, Germany
- Owned By
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Volkswagen
- Current CEO
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Oliver Blume
How Carbon Capture Can Help Save Combustion
The patent, described as a “gas scrubbing apparatus for absorbing carbon dioxide from the ambient air,” is effectively a means of carbon capture, which is not an entirely new concept. Porsche’s patent filing even states as much, citing that such technology can help undo some of the damage done by exhaust emissions. While it isn’t new, it does reaffirm Porsche’s commitment to synthetic fuel, as the carbon captured from the atmosphere is likely to be used in the creation of synthetic fuel, of which Porsche has been a proponent for some time.
“The carbon dioxide extracted from the ambient air can, for example, be used to produce synthetic fuels, wherein synthetic fuels are produced from power, water and carbon dioxide by a so-called Power-to-X technology, in particular by a Power-to-Liquid process. The synthetic fuels can be used as fuel for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, for example.”
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A Beginner’s Guide To Synthetic Fuel
We’ve delved into what synthetic fuel is before, but without going into great detail, what you need to know is that synthetic fuel – like the stuff Porsche produces in partnership with HIF in Chile – is gas that is created using carbon already emitted into the atmosphere. This carbon is captured and then synthesized with hydrogen to create hydrocarbons, which are identical to the gas we all know and love. When you juice up your Porsche with this synthetic fuel, it emits no more carbon into the atmosphere than was already there to begin with. In that sense, it’s carbon neutral, but it doesn’t reverse carbon emissions.
Related
What Is Synthetic Fuel? And Is It The Savior Of The Combustion Engine?
Synthetic fuel is being praised as the savior of the combustion engine, but is it really all that?
How Does Porsche’s New Air Scrubber Save Combustion Engines?
The problem with the process of ambient carbon capture is that it is resource-intensive and that carbon dioxide concentration in ambient air is pretty low – approximately 400 parts per million, according to Porsche. Another issue is that current systems require a lot of additional water in the process, which makes sucking carbon from the air far less environmentally friendly than idealists would like you to believe. Porsche’s new invention apparently “[absorbs] carbon dioxide from ambient air with a reduced water requirement.”
The short explanation of how it does this is by sucking out any moisture from the clean air it emits, recirculating this moisture into the intake of so-called dirty air. This reduces the amount of external water needed in the process, making it more efficient to harness ambient carbon dioxide. By making this process more efficient and less resource-intensive, it means less water and energy are required to create synthetic fuel. This has been one of the big concerns over synthetic fuel, which is why the only plant currently producing it under the auspices of Porsche is the Haru Oni plant in Chile, which sees extreme wind levels providing an almost infinite supply of energy.
Basically, the more Porsche can refine this process, the more likely synthetic fuels will be mass-produced, thus reducing the costs for the end user.
Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as production intent.