China seems to have found the fuel of the future and has nothing to do with hydrogen. In addition, the first engine that will use it has arrived. Hydrogen is reaching unsuspected limits, something that was completely demonstrated with the vehicle that will use it for the first time. Its novel potential as a source of fuel alternative and renewable is already widely recognized, so much so that it has aroused interest in various sectors, such as electricity, heating and transport.
Given the growing progress driven by new alternatives that are coming to market, the forecast is that the global hydrogen market will grow and exceed $200 billion by the end of 2025, according to CAS.
The arrival of this new paradigm will result in new opportunities in the commercial, academic and government fields. With forecasts putting hydrogen at the top, a large number of manufacturers have opted for vehicle manufacturers that run on H as fuel. However, now comes a different option that could make us forget the fever caused by hydrogen.
China replaces hydrogen with the fuel of the future
He ammonia is seen as a clean fuel for ships, planes, trucks and trains. In fact, GAC of China believes it also has a prosperous future in passenger cars. He has created a combustion engine to test this theory, capable of reducing emissions by approximately 90%. In some instances, ammonia can transport hydrogen even more optimally than hydrogen itself.
It is easier to handle, since it is liquid at room temperature and does not require expensive compression or cryogenic liquefaction equipment. It can be produced cleanly, although most of its current production is not done that way. It is also very corrosive and we are talking about a dangerous substance both for humans and for many other living beings. In this way, we are faced with a fuel which has its pros and cons, just as happens with gasoline and diesel, the most conventional fuels.
Some projects associated with vehicles green ammonia They aim to ‘decompose’ the ammonia into hydrogen, release the nitrogen into the air and use a battery of fuel to produce electrical energy, others use it in modified combustion engines. This last case is what we are going to develop below.
China is betting on a fuel that goes beyond hydrogen
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. (GAC) announced in a presentation of Tech Day in 2024 the development of a 2.0-liter engine with the ability to burn liquid ammonia safely and effectively. According to Bloomberg, GAC It reports a power of 120 kW (161 hp) and a 90% drop in carbon emissions compared to conventional fuels.
Technically we are not talking about the first engine of these characteristics, since a decade ago, researchers from the Korean Energy Research Institute They tested a car called AmVeh which used 70% ammonia and 30% gasoline. This lowered carbon emissions by 70% and the AmVech team was then focused on a fully ammonia-powered engine.
Since the engine GAC seems to still produce some carbon dioxide, it probably uses some other source of carbon dioxide as well. fuel. This makes sense, given the low speed of call propagation in ammonia tends to make it more difficult to operate the engine at high RPM or under low load conditions.
Definitely, China bet on ammonia (the fuel of the future), although to do so it has to face several challenges. If you want to know more about this type of engines, you cannot miss this article.
