Great Wall Motor questions about rival BYD failing on hybrid emissions

May 25, 2023

It’s reported that Great Wall Motor has filed a report with China’s regulators against BYD, claiming that its rival’s two top-selling hybrid models did not meet emissions standards². However, BYD has denied the allegations and said that its vehicles comply with the regulations³. This is not the first time that BYD has faced legal challenges from its competitors. In 2020, BYD was sued by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) for libel, but the case was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022¹.

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) -Great Wall Motor has filed a report with China’s regulators against BYD, it said on Thursday, claiming its rival’s two top-selling hybrid models did not meet emissions standards and triggering a rare public spat.

BYD rejected the claim, saying its vehicles met China’s emission standards and that it reserved the right to take legal action against Great Wall.

The public accusation from Hebei-based Great Wall – China’s first listed car maker – has thrown it into an unusual, open fight with BYD, the country’s largest and most successful maker of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that has emerged as a rival to Tesla.

Hong Kong-listed shares of Great Wall closed down 7.3%. Hong Kong-listed shares of BYD fell 5.4%.

On its WeChat account, Great Wall Motor said it had submitted documents on April 11 to China’s ecology and environment ministry, the industry and information ministry and the top market regulator alleging that BYD failed to meet pollutant emissions standards in two plug-in hybrid models.

The three government agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

“We firmly oppose any kind of unfair competitive behaviour and reserve the right to sue,” BYD said in a statement.

Great Wall Motor accused BYD of using non-pressurised fuel tanks in its Qin Plus and Song Plus plug-in hybrids, which let the liquid inside evaporate more rapidly than it would in pressurised tanks.

The Song is BYD’s best-selling SUV. The Qin is the company’s best-selling sedan.

Great Wall did not provide evidence for its claim and did not explain why any issue had not been detected by regulators before.

Fuel tank pressure is an issue for plug-in hybrids because they are designed to run on electric power alone at times, meaning gasoline remains in the tank longer than it would for a normal internal combustion-engine vehicle. Pressurised tanks, which are widely used in hybrids and plug-in hybrids, are designed to limit the evaporation of gasoline and meet regulatory standards for the gasoline fumes vehicles emit.

In this article, we are much more interested in why pressureized tanks are required for hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

A pressurized tank for hybrids is a type of fuel tank that can withstand the increase in pressure caused by the volatility of petrol in plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) that have a high electric autonomy. Pressurized tanks for hybrids are usually made of plastic materials that have excellent barrier properties and can resist distortion. Pressurized tanks for hybrids can offer advantages such as weight reduction, less post-processing, design freedom and ease of recycling. However, pressurized tanks for hybrids may also have challenges such as safety, cost and durability.

According to search results, hybrids must use pressurized tanks because petrol is volatile and the consequence is an increase in pressure in the tank. The difficulty here is to know how to handle this pressure/vacuum on the plastic material without distorting the tank4. Pressurized fuel tanks for plug-in hybrids can lower overall vehicle weight without reducing maximum range, thus reducing overall emissions5. However, not all hybrids use pressurized tanks. Some use hydraulic hybrid systems that use a pressurized fluid power source instead of a battery pack.

North America does not require pressurized tanks for hybrids, but it does have strict regulations for the emissions and fuel efficiency of vehicles, which may encourage the use of hybrid technologies. President Biden has recently announced a goal to have half of all new vehicles sold by 2030 be electric, and has restored and strengthened the tailpipe emissions standards that were weakened by the previous administration. However, some hybrids may use alternative ways of storing energy, such as hydrogen, which requires cryogenic temperatures or high-pressure tanks.

Based on the above research, pressurized tanks are not required strictly by regulations. But the tailpipe emissions standards should be enforced. Let’s see how the authorities respond and ensure the big hybrid manufacturers abide by the regulations.

Resource: 2023/5/25
(1) Great Wall Motor says rival BYD failing on hybrid emissions – Yahoo. https://www.yahoo.com/news/byd-great-wall-motor-locked-065343466.html.
(2) BYD and Great Wall Motor locked in rare war of words over emissions. https://srnnews.com/byd-and-great-wall-motor-locked-in-rare-war-of-words-over-emissions/.
(3) Supreme Court Rejects Meritless Libel Lawsuit Filed by Chinese Company …. https://www.americanmanufacturing.org/press-release/supreme-court-rejects-meritless-libel-lawsuit-filed-by-chinese-company-byd-against-aam/.

(4) Pressurized hybrid fuel tanks (PHEV). https://www.rm-technologies.eu/pressurized-hybrid-fuel-tanks-phev.html.
(5) Energy Storage Systems – High quality fuel systems | Magna. https://www.magna.com/products/body-exteriors-structures/energy-storage-systems.
(6) Hydraulic hybrid vehicle – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_hybrid_vehicle.

What is MBC Osmosis? Is it more efficient?

March 24, 2023

Today, we would discuss about another technique, Membrane Brine Concentrator (MBC).

Membrane Brine Concentrator (MBC) is a technology that uses membranes to concentrate brine streams from desalination or industrial processes. It is an alternative to thermal evaporation, which requires a lot of energy and is expensive to operate. MBC uses osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO), which is a process that combines forward osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO) to achieve higher water recovery and lower pressure than conventional RO¹². MBC can produce clean water that can be reused or discharged, and a concentrated brine that can be recycled or treated further¹²³. MBC is a cost-effective and proven technology that has been used in various applications, such as flue gas desulfurization, dye manufacturing, zero liquid discharge, and food and beverage production¹²³.

Reference:

1. modernwater.com2. wecprojects.com3. sciencedirect.com4. bing.com

Some of the advantages of MBC over thermal evaporation are:

• MBC requires no thermal energy and is purely electrically driven, which reduces the operating costs and energy consumption¹².
• MBC has a low material consumption and a high water recovery, which reduces the waste generation and environmental impact¹².
• MBC can achieve excellent film uniformity, conformal substrate coverage, and device reproducibility and scalability, which improves the performance and quality of the products².
• MBC does not use toxic solvents or chemicals, which enhances the safety and health of the workers and the environment¹².

Reference:1. sciencedirect.com2. sciencedirect.com3. scsolutions.com

The basic steps of MBC using osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO) is as follows. The feed water is first passed through a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, which produces a permeate stream of clean water and a reject stream of concentrated brine. The brine is then passed through a forward osmosis (FO) membrane, which uses a draw solution to further increase the water recovery and reduce the brine volume. The final brine stream can be recycled or treated further, while the draw solution can be regenerated and reused²³.

Reference:1. creately.com2. creately.com3. en.wikipedia.org

Contamination resistance of MBC refers to the ability of the membranes to withstand fouling and scaling by various types of contaminants present in the brine. These contaminants can affect the performance and durability of the membranes and increase the operational costs of MBC. Some of the common types of contaminants are:

• Inorganic pollutants: These represent sea salt and other dissolved minerals that can increase the osmotic pressure and reduce the water flux of the membranes. They can also precipitate on the membrane surface or inside the pores and cause scaling. Scaling can reduce the membrane permeability and increase the pressure drop across the membrane. Some examples of scaling agents are calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, and silica¹³.
• Organic contaminants: These represent natural organic matter (NOM), synthetic organic compounds, and biological substances that can adsorb on the membrane surface or inside the pores and cause fouling. Fouling can reduce the membrane permeability and increase the pressure drop across the membrane. It can also promote microbial growth and biofouling, which can further deteriorate the membrane performance and quality. Some examples of organic contaminants are humic acids, bovine serum albumin, polysaccharides, and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)¹³.
• Colloidal contamination: These represent fine particles that are suspended in the brine and can deposit on the membrane surface or inside the pores and cause fouling. Colloidal fouling can reduce the membrane permeability and increase the pressure drop across the membrane. It can also increase the turbidity and color of the permeate. Some examples of colloidal contaminants are clay, silt, iron oxide, and silica¹³.

MRC system has set up pretreatment of the feed water and applied applying physical and chemical methods to modify the membrane features to improve the contamination resistance.

• Pre-treatment: This involves applying physical, chemical, or biological methods to remove or reduce the contaminants from the feed water before entering the MBC system. Pre-treatment can enhance the quality of the feed water and reduce the fouling and scaling potential of the membranes. Some examples of pre-treatment methods are coagulation-flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, oxidation, disinfection, pH adjustment, and antiscalant dosing¹³.
• Membrane modification: This involves applying physical or chemical methods to modify the material, structure, or surface properties of the membranes to enhance their contamination resistance. Membrane modification can improve the inherent characteristics of the membranes such as hydrophilicity, charge density, roughness, pore size distribution, etc. Some examples of membrane modification methods are coating, grafting, blending, cross-linking

If you are interested in this article, wish to share ideas or there is any concerns about intellectual property or patent  , please contact us.

What is FRO Osmosis? And why it is more efficient than traditional methods?

November 21, 2022

 We have discussed forward osmosis (FO) in the last article. It is an osmotic process that uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate water from dissolved solutes. The driving force for this separation is an osmotic pressure gradient, such that a “draw” solution of high concentration (relative to that of the feed solution), is used to induce a net flow of water through the membrane into the draw solution. There is another term, FRO, which stands for forward osmosis with reverse osmosis. It is a hybrid process that combines FO and RO to achieve desalination or water purification. In FRO, the draw solution is diluted by the FO process and then reconcentrated by the RO process, creating a closed loop system that minimizes energy consumption and environmental impact (according to Wikipedia¹, and Sciencedirect.com). Today, we will discuss another application case, they have successfully applied the technology to achieve zero discharge of production wastewater, desalination, and lithium salt concentration pilot test.

Here is the illustration about why FRO performance is better than some other types while the production cost is lower.

FRO can deliver better results than RO membrane under the same conditions. Additionally, as the runny stages can be added or decreased according to the customer’s needs, the investment amount can be minimized and the equipment can be added to the customer’s current system to save initial investments.

FRO can save significant operation cost during operation. As this technique won’t ask for extra energy to evaporate, a 83% saving of fuel and electricity would help enterprises improve their profits.

We are in a hope to see this technique would help more business.

If you are interested in this article, wish to share ideas or there is any concerns about intellectual property or patent  , please contact us.

Will Forward Osmosis Help To Provide Clean Water?

October 24, 2022

 According to Wikipedia, FO osmosis stands for forward osmosis. People use a semi-permeable membrane to separate water from dissolved solutes by using an osmotic pressure gradient. Osmosis is a more general term that refers to the movement of a solvent (such as water) across a semi-permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration. ²³⁴Osmosis can occur in any solvent, not just water, and it does not require a draw solution. FO osmosis is a specific type of osmosis that uses water as the solvent and a draw solution as the driving force.

FO was first proposed as a desalination process in 1973 by Sidney Loeb, who also invented RO. There are various applications of FO in different fields, such as water treatment, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and energy production¹. Some examples of FO applications are:

• Desalination of seawater or brackish water using a draw solution that can be easily regenerated¹².
• Concentration of fruit juices or dairy products without heating or adding chemicals¹.
• Removal of contaminants or pathogens from wastewater or drinking water¹.
• Production of osmotic power by using a salinity gradient between two solutions

(According to 2. byjus.com3. biologydictionary.net4. bbc）

Agricultural Chemicals Pollution in China’s Rural Areas

September 19, 2022

We have completed a couple of water treatment projects in central China during the past years. However, the happiness come from the projects success don’t last for long. When we cooperate with local people, we recognize that the pollutions come from agricultural chemical products is quite significant. Here is our findings and concerns.

Agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, are widely used in China’s rural areas to increase crop yields and prevent pests and diseases. However, the excessive and improper use of these chemicals has also caused serious environmental and health problems, such as soil degradation, water contamination and food safety risks.

According to a report by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in 2019, about 16.1% of China’s arable land was polluted by agricultural chemicals, mainly by nitrogen and phosphorus from chemical fertilizers and by organochlorine pesticides. The report also estimated that the total amount of agricultural chemicals applied in China was about 60 million tons per year, which was much higher than the global average.

The pollution of agricultural chemicals has negative impacts on the environment and people. Firstly, it reduces soil fertility and biodiversity, as the chemicals kill beneficial microorganisms and insects, and alter the natural balance of nutrients and organic matter in the soil. Secondly, it contaminates surface water and groundwater, as the chemicals leach into rivers, lakes and aquifers through runoff and infiltration. This poses a threat to aquatic ecosystems and drinking water sources, especially in rural areas where water resources are scarce and vulnerable. Thirdly, it affects food quality and safety, as the chemicals accumulate in crops, livestock and aquatic products, and enter the human body through the food chain. This may cause acute or chronic poisoning, as well as various diseases such as cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders.

To address the problem of agricultural chemicals pollution, China has taken some measures to regulate the production, distribution and use of these chemicals, such as banning or restricting some highly toxic pesticides, promoting integrated pest management and organic farming, and strengthening supervision and inspection. However, these measures are still insufficient and face many challenges, such as lack of awareness and education among farmers, weak enforcement and monitoring capacity, low economic incentives and market demand for green agriculture, and high dependence on chemical inputs for agricultural production.

Therefore, more efforts are needed to prevent and control agricultural chemicals pollution in China’s rural areas. Some possible suggestions are:

• Enhance public awareness and education on the hazards and impacts of agricultural chemicals pollution, and encourage farmers to adopt more environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices.
• Improve the management and regulation of agricultural chemicals industry, and ensure the quality and safety of these chemicals. Strengthen the supervision and inspection of agricultural chemicals use, and impose strict penalties for violations.
• Promote the development and adoption of alternative technologies and methods to reduce the reliance on chemical inputs, such as biological pest control, organic fertilizers, crop rotation and intercropping.
• Establish a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system for agricultural chemicals pollution, and collect reliable data on the sources, pathways, levels and effects of these chemicals in different regions and sectors.
• Enhance the cooperation and coordination among different stakeholders, such as government agencies, research institutions, industry associations, civil society organizations and farmers’ cooperatives, to share information, resources and experiences on agricultural chemicals pollution prevention and control

If you are interested in this article, wish to share ideas or there is any concerns about intellectual property or patent  , please contact us.

Nuclear water pollutions

August 22, 2022