The mission of the Nature for Life Foundation (founded in 2016) is to educate young earthlings worldwide about the free functions of nature, such as drinking water, food, health, climate and energy. It will be implemented through short internet films and the formation of examples of how we can use modern technologies to stop the climate crisis and the deterioration of biodiversity.
The goal is to achieve a future-proof rebirth of the diesel engine, called the “Diesel Futur”. Diesel engines usually have an energy output of about half (the portion of the chemical energy of the fuel that provides kinetic energy). Virtually all remaining energy ends up outside the engine as heat and CO2. This efficiency can be improved by:
- Capturing and chemically processing (or having processed) the emitted CO2 into (semi)manufactured products.
- Using and/or storing residual engine heat from the radiator circuit (low calorific) and exhaust heat (high calorific).
- Testing of alternative fuels such as oils and plastics from waste streams to strategically reduce dependence on mineral fuels.
- In the aforementioned points, also considering the diesel-electric route for typical applications.
If successful, many of the millions of diesel vehicles and vessels worldwide will not end up on the scrapheap, and manufacturers can continue to apply their specific knowledge. The Netherlands can also benefit from related developments and frameworks. The concept will contribute to the improvement of the Earth’s future environment.
Specifically, relevant research groups will conduct feasibility studies and then construct some prototypes intended for various diesel engine applications.
*Image caption:
“Car coffee”, a simple mechanics-free demo model using low-caloric residual heat from a car’s diesel engine.