El amoníaco será una alternativa fuerte y reemplazará al eléctrico

There is no doubt that fuels are not the same as before, as more and more innovations are leaving traditional fuels behind, as happened with these cars that burn water. But this does not mean that better fuels are always used, in fact, there is much controversy in this regard, because now a new engine has arrived that uses a toxic fuel, but why would they want to use something toxic?

Goodbye to gasoline and diesel

In recent times, more and more countries have set the goal of bidding farewell to fossil fuels, so they are looking for new alternatives for everything, especially for the automotive industry, one of the main contributors to pollution.

To do this, several green alternatives have emerged, such as hydrogen engines and electric engines, but are they the only options? There could be good alternatives, but not everyone wants to limit themselves to them, and China is a clear example.

It turns out that the Chinese manufacturer Gac, in collaboration with Toyota, presented a prototype engine that runs on liquid ammonia! Instead of gasoline, this could provide a new alternative to electricity and hydrogen.

A very different fuel

Ammonia has significant advantages, as it is capable of being used in internal combustion engines that would not be much different from those used with diesel or gasoline.

In fact, ammonia is already being produced in large volumes and, surprisingly, its production is very economical. It is generally produced from natural gas, but it could also be produced through processes with a carbon-neutral footprint and in parallel with hydrogen production, using renewable energy.

An innovation in tourist cars

Although this engine would not be the first to work with ammonia, it is the first to be developed for possible use in tourist vehicles, which could be direct competition for electric cars!

In a technological presentation, GAC explained that with this new engine, they have overcome several issues, such as excessive nitrogen emissions and increased combustion pressure compared to gasoline engines.

«We have overcome the barrier where ammonia is difficult to burn quickly and put this fuel at the service of the automotive industry,» said Qi Hongzhong, Engineer at the GAC R&D Center.

Is ammonia really toxic?

Unfortunately, we cannot deny that ammonia is indeed a very toxic substance. But despite this fact, its nature as a fuel has brought it into the spotlight for future transportation needs. It has about half the energy density of gasoline, with 3.6 kWh per liter, but it does not emit carbon, hydrocarbons, or CO2 when burned.

However, using ammonia as a fuel continues to pose significant challenges, because although CO and CO2 emissions are very small, ammonia combustion generates large NX emissions, which are very dangerous to health.

Although GAC and Toyota engineers have designed a system that allows them to use ammonia safely and efficiently, it is important to continue exploring and developing technologies to reduce the risks associated with using this fuel.

There are still many challenges

As can be seen, the ammonia engine has several advantages compared to diesel engines, as it is a cleaner and more durable technology, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is important to remember that ammonia is a very toxic gas and must be handled carefully.

In conclusion, the ammonia engine is a very controversial alternative, because on the one hand, CO2 emissions decrease significantly, but there are still many challenges to address NOx emissions. Despite this fact, the ammonia engine is already being used elsewhere and promises to decarbonize shipping.