Scientists recently created a compact high-tech gadget that can attach to a gas-powered car's tailpipe, converting wasted heat and exhaust into usable energy.
In a study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Penn State researchers detailed the science behind the compact thermoelectric generator that transforms tailpipe waste into power. The prototype invention has the potential to be used on cars, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles, per the study.
According to SciTechDaily, gas-powered engines waste about 75% of their fuel as heat. This means only a quarter of this fuel is actually used for motion. That's a lot of dirty fuel effectively wasted as unused heat.
While electric and hybrid vehicles help resolve this wasteful problem by curbing the need for dirty fuel, there's still a long way to go before new energy vehicles are the standard. In 2023, only 7.6% of new vehicles sold were electric vehicles. And that's not even to mention the significant time before electric aerial vehicles become the norm.
Addressing transportation's dirty fuel problem is sorely needed. According to the EPA, transportation is the largest source of planet-warming pollution in the U.S., responsible for 28% of the country's annual environmental pollution. More than half of this transportation-based pollution — a whopping 57% — comes from passenger vehicles. That's why turning a vehicle's wasted heat and exhaust into energy could be game-changing, helping to give useless dirty fuel a new life.
Thermoelectric generators have admittedly been around for a while — but the tech tends to be bulky.
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As Interesting Engineering explains, these generators use the temperature difference applied across a material and convert it into energy. Usually, these generators rely on a sizable water-based cooling system to help create that differential. But this new tech uses compact heat exchangers similar to those used in air conditioners to capture thermal energy from exhaust pipes.
SciTechDaily reports that the prototype achieved an output power of 40 watts, enough to power an average lightbulb. In simulations mimicking the output of high-speed vehicles, the prototype achieved an output power of 56 watts for car-like exhaust speeds and 146 watts for helicopter-like exhaust speeds. That's the equivalent of the electricity needed to power five and 12 lithium-ion batteries, respectively.
SciTechDaily highlights that this generator variation is "lightweight and efficient" unlike previous heavy systems that required extra cooling for adequate operation. Plus, the researchers report their practical system can be retrofitted into existing exhausts without major modification.
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While this innovation doesn't make dirty energy "sustainable," it does help harness power from otherwise wasted planet-warming pollution. And that's undoubtedly a good thing.
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