a diesel particulate filter... for car brakes ?
What if the issue of vehicle pollution is more complex than it seems? Recent studies have shown that the air we breathe in the Paris metro is up to 30 times more polluted than the air outside. It is the brake pad lining particles that are incriminated. A problem that fatally affects cars and means of transport equipped with disc brakes. According to a study by the INSA in Lyon in 2011, fine brake particles are six times more harmful than those in the exhaust system. In view of this, the fitting of a DPF to the brakes is being studied.
Brake pollution: A forgotten field
For almost fifteen years now, pollution and environmental causes have become a concern for Europe. Vehicles, which are becoming increasingly numerous, have been hit by the finger many times over. Laws aimed at reducing polluting emissions have contributed to bonus/penalty systems and CO2 emission reduction schemes. However, one area seems to have been spared: the soot particles released by brake pads. This is a very real form of pollution, particularly harmful in enclosed spaces, like the Paris metro. Since most vehicles are equipped with disc brakes, a French company, Tallano Technologies, has developed a system designed to suck up the particles emitted during braking. Researches are currently being tested on several RER C trains.
Do you want to know if your Catalytic Converter is Bad ? Do you want to know if your DPF is clogged ?
Towards an automotive application ?
According to Tallano, three generalist manufacturers are experimenting with the brake particle filter. If this system were to become widespread, it would be quite different from the one detected in the exhaust line, after the catalytic converter on diesel cars equipped with it. These would be small particulate aspirators that would be activated during braking. According to several sources, Renault is one of the manufacturers currently studying this DPF system for brakes. Will the device be standard on future cars? The future will tell us...