Negative carbon dioxide output vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682344-B1
Application number	US-201615131408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 18, 2016
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A fuel tank and a motor vehicle equipped to recapture, store and recycle atmospheric carbon dioxide is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a vehicle includes a fuel tank which stores carbon dioxide in a same area with the combustible fuel of the vehicle. The fuel tank may include one or more pistons, baffles, bladders, or fixed dividers to separate carbon dioxide storage from fuel storage within a fuel tank area. The fuel tank may share volumetric space between carbon dioxide and fuel within the fuel tank. The fuel tank may be integrally formed into a carbon fiber vehicle body. The fuel tank may be integrally formed into a frame of a vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air cleaning vehicle comprising:
a first air intake which mixes with a combustible fuel to power the vehicle;
a second air intake which provides an input to an air scrubber system, wherein the scrubber system produces carbon dioxide obtained from the second air intake and from an exhaust resulting from burning the combustible fuel;
a compressor system which compresses the carbon dioxide produced by the scrubber; and
a heat exchange system which uses at least some of the air of the second air intake to provide cooling for the air scrubber system, the compressor system, and/or a condenser system.

2. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a fuel tank with a storage area for storing the combustible fuel and the carbon dioxide, wherein the combustible fuel and the carbon dioxide share volumetric space within the fuel tank.

3. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 2 , further comprising a piston, baffle, membrane, or bladder which separates the combustible fuel from the carbon dioxide within the shared volumetric space.

4. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the shared volumetric space is defined by an inner area of an enclosed space.

5. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the enclosed space is at least partially made of at least one of a plastic, carbon fiber, nylon, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, metal, or a metal alloy.

6. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the enclosed space is integrally formed into a body structure of a vehicle.

7. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the enclosed space is integrally formed into a frame structure of a vehicle.

8. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the inner area of the enclosed space is lined with one or more membranes.

9. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the carbon dioxide stored in the fuel tank is a mixture of environmental carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide resulting from combustion of the combustible fuel.

10. The air cleaning vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the combustible fuel is chosen from one or more of: nitrous oxide, gasoline, diesel fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, alcohol, butane, or hydrogen.

11. A method of removing carbon dioxide from an environment comprising:
running a combustion engine of a vehicle in the environment to remove the carbon dioxide from the environment and from an exhaust produced by combustion of the vehicle engine, a net carbon dioxide removal being more than is produced by the combustion of the vehicle engine;
storing the net carbon dioxide removal in a fuel tank of the vehicle, the fuel tank also providing combustion fuel for the combustion engine; and
recycling the carbon dioxide stored in the fuel tank.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising one or more pistons, baffles, membranes, fixed dividers or bladders which separate the combustion fuel and the carbon dioxide within the fuel tank.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recycled carbon dioxide is consumed in a beverage.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recycled carbon dioxide is dispensed within the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbon dioxide within the fuel tank is transferable to one or more portable tanks.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recycled carbon dioxide is transferred from the fuel tank when the fuel tank is refueled.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recycled carbon dioxide is transferred out of the fuel tank and combustion fuel is transferred into the fuel tank at the same time.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recycled carbon dioxide is transferred out of the fuel tank and combustion fuel is transferred into the fuel tank by a single dual-nozzle-connection.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the scrubber system has a clean air output which feeds into a space of the vehicle with occupants.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fuel is chosen from one or more of: nitrous oxide, gasoline, diesel fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, alcohol, butane, or hydrogen.

Assignees

• Hall David R
• Hall Stephen R

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Hall Stephen R

Classifications

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• B01D53/18 Primary

  Absorbing units; Liquid distributors therefor (B01D3/16, B01D3/26, B01D3/30 take precedence; packing elements B01J19/30, B01J19/32) · CPC title

• B60K15/03

  Fuel tanks · CPC title

• F02M21/0221 Primary

  Fuel storage reservoirs, e.g. cryogenic tanks · CPC title

• B01D53/1475

  Removing carbon dioxide · CPC title