In addition to reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 67%, the addition of water to diesel fuel also improves the engine’s overall performance, without requiring major changes to its design.
A new scientific review in Carbon Research suggests that adding small amounts of water to diesel can offer a cheap and highly effective way of reducing pollution from diesel engines, without sacrificing power or requiring major changes to the engine design.
The assessment, led by researchers at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria, examines global studies on Water-in-Diesel Emulsion (WiDE) technology and concludes that the approach can significantly reduce harmful emissions while improves overall engine performance.
Diesel engines are major sources of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), pollutants associated with respiratory diseases, smog formation and global warming. Conventional emissions controls, such as particulate filters and catalytic converters, can help mitigate these impacts, but they are expensive to install and maintain.
WiDE technology offers a simpler alternative. The method mixes tiny droplets of water into diesel fuel using surfactants which keep the mixture stable for weeks. When fuel is burned, water vaporizes instantly, triggering a “microexplosion” inside the combustion chamber. This effect improves the air and fuel mixture, reduces maximum combustion temperatures and reduces NOx formation. At the same time, better air-fuel interaction leads to more complete combustion, which reduces soot and particulate emissions.
According to the studies analyzed, WiDE can reduce nitrogen oxide emissions up to 67% and particle emissions up to 68% compared to conventional diesel. Many tests have also demonstrated greater braking thermal efficiency, which means that engines convert more of the fuel’s energy into useful work, explains .
“Water-in-diesel emulsions are a practical and economical way to make diesel engines cleaner,” said lead author Dr Chukwuemeka Fortunatus Nnadozie. “How does technology Does not require engine overhauloffers an immediate path to reducing emissions in both developing and developed countries.”
Despite the promising results, the researchers advocate further studies to determine the long-term effects of WiDE on engine components and to refine surfactant formulations.
