Novel CO2 capturing tech may cut vehicle emissions by 90% - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Novel CO2 capturing tech may cut vehicle emissions by 90%

The researchers' calculations show that a truck using one kilogramme (kg) of conventional fuel could produce 3kg of liquid CO2, and that the conversion does not involve any energy penalty.

Scientists have developed a new technology that could cut carbon dioxide emissions from trucks and buses by almost 90 per cent by capturing CO2 within the exhaust system, converting it into a liquid and storing it on the vehicle. The liquid CO2 would then be delivered to a service station where it will be turned back into fuel using renewable energy, according to the researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
They propose to capture CO2 and convert it from a gas to a liquid in a process that recovers most of energy available onboard, such as heat from the engine. In the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Energy Research, the scientists used the example of a delivery truck.
First, the vehicle’s flue gases in the exhaust pipe are cooled down and the water is separated from the gases. CO2 is isolated from the other gases such as nitrogen and oxygen with a temperature swing adsorption system, using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) adsorbent, which are specially designed to absorb CO2.
Once the material is saturated with CO2, it is heated so that pure CO2 can be extracted from it, the researchers said. High speed turbocompressors developed by Jurg Schiffmann’s laboratory at EPFL use heat from the vehicle’s engine to compress the extracted CO2 and turn it into a liquid. That liquid is stored in a tank and can then be converted back into conventional fuel at the service stations using renewable electricity, the researchers said.
“The truck simply deposits the liquid when filling up with fuel,” said Francois Marechal from EPFL.
The whole process takes place within a capsule placed above the driver’s cabin.
“The weight of the capsule and the tank is only 7 per cent of the vehicle’s payload. The process itself uses little energy, because all of its stages have been optimised,” said Marechal.
The researchers’ calculations show that a truck using one kilogramme (kg) of conventional fuel could produce 3kg of liquid CO2, and that the conversion does not involve any energy penalty.
Only 10 per cent of the CO2 emissions cannot be recycled, and the researchers propose to offset that using biomass, they said.
The system could theoretically work with all trucks, buses and even boats, and with any type of fuel, the researchers said. The advantage of this system is that, unlike electric or hydrogen-based ones, it can be retrofitted to existing trucks in order to neutralise their impact in terms of carbon emissions, they said.


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Novel CO2 capturing tech may cut vehicle emissions by 90%

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle.

The Indian Navy Wednesday inducted its first 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' into service here and was in the process of acquiring one more soon to deploy the vessels permanently at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.

With the DSRV's induction, the Indian Navy has joined the select league of world navies that have an integral submarine rescue capability, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba said after the induction at the Western Naval Command here.
The maiden trials of the DSRV were successfully completed on October 15.
"The DSRV (induction) is a landmark event and it marks the culmination of years of focused efforts of the Navy in acquiring niche submarine rescue capability. With these capabilities, the Indian Navy has joined the select league of navies that operate such assets," Admiral Lanba said.
The second vehicle has already left for delivery to India and will be based at the naval base in Visakhapatnam, he said.
The endeavour is to provide rescue services in the Indian Ocean region and beyond, he said, adding that the Navy can extend services to friendly nations.
INS Nistar was the first submarine rescuer followed by INS Nireekshak which carries out dual role of diving support and submarine rescue vessel, he noted.
"A need was felt as early as 1980s to induct a dedicated, non-tethered DSRV to match the growing reach and depth of our submarines," Lanba said.
The inducted submarine -- a third generation product of Scotland-based JFD, a part of James Fisher and Sons Plc -- has the latest technology and capability, he said.
The vehicle is currently deployed on mother ship INS Sabarmati, provided by the Shipping Corporation of India, which will be placed in Mumbai.
JFD has won the contract of 193 million pounds for the supply and 25 years of maintenance of the two DSRVs.
More than 80 naval personnel have undergone training on DSRV operations and its exercises will continue in future as well, a Naval official said.
The vehicle can rescue as many as 14 people in one dive, the official said.
The Navy has also given a Rs 9,000 crore contract to the Hindustan Shipyard Limited for building two mother ships for DSRVs and deliver them by 2020, the official said.
The DSRV will be permanent deployed on the mother ship and it can be flown away in case of emergency rescue, the Navy said.


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Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle.

Vehicle Location Tracking Devices and Emergency Buttons Mandatory for all New Public Service Vehicles Registered After 1st January 2019 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Vehicle Location Tracking Devices and Emergency Buttons Mandatory for all New Public Service Vehicles Registered After 1st January 2019.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways vide notification dated 25.10.18, has mandated that all new public service vehicles except auto rickshaws and e Rickshaws, registered on and after 1st January 2019, will have to be equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking ( VLT )with emergency buttons. The VLT device manufacturers would assist in providing the back end services for monitoring. This regulation is being brought in to ensure safety of passengers especially women.

In case of older public service vehicles –those registered up to 31"December,2018, the respective State/ UT Governments will notify the date by which these vehicles have to install Vehicle Location Tracking Device and Panic Buttons. The Ministry has sent an advisory to the states in this regard.
The Ministry has also notified the operational procedure for implementation of VLT cum Emergency buttons. The State or Union Territories are required to ensure execution of this order and check fitment and functional status of the VLT device in the public service vehicles at the time of checking of the vehicles for fitness certification.
Command and Control Centres will be setup by the State or VLT manufacturers or any other agency authorised by the State Government, and these centres will provide interface to various stakeholders such as state emergency response centre, the transport department or Regional Transport Offices, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and its designated agencies, device manufacturers and their authorised dealers, testing agencies, permit holders, etc. These centres will also provide feed to the VAHAN data base or the relevant data base of the State with regard to the over speeding, device health status.
The details of each VLT device will be uploaded on the VAHAN database by the VLT device manufacturer using its secured authenticated access. The VLT device manufacturers or their authorised dealers will install the VLT devices in public service vehicles and register the devices along with details of vehicle on the corresponding backend systems in real-time.
The public service vehicle owners have to ensure that the VLT devices installed in their vehicles are in working condition and regularly send required data to the corresponding backend system through cellular connectivity.
VLT device manufacturers will get their devices tested for conformity of production every year after the firstcertification,fromthetestingagenciesreferredtoinrule126 of theCentralMotorVehiclesRules,1989.
The testing agencies will upload the details of the VLT devices certified by the month e VAHAN database. They will also update the status relating to the Conformity of Production on the VAHAN database.
The State or Union Territories will publish Internet Protocol address (IP address) and Short Message Service Gateway (SMS gateway) details of their respective emergency response system where VLT devices will send the emergency alerts on press of emergency button.


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Vehicle Location Tracking Devices and Emergency Buttons Mandatory for all New Public Service Vehicles Registered After 1st January 2019.

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