Advanced diesel emission control in agricultural tractors using Ni-CNTS nanocomposites and hybrid activated carbon–magnesium oxide adsorbents

Abstract

Abstract Agricultural tractors powered by thermally efficient and economically viable diesel engines play a pivotal role in the mechanization farming operations. However, these engines emit harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), total suspended particles (TSP), and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), all of which pose significant risks to human, animal, and plant health. In addition, these emissions also contribute to air pollution, global warming. This study builds upon our previous simulation-based research by implementing two novel exhaust gas treatment prototypes directly onto agricultural tractors under real-world field conditions. The first prototype was filled with activated carbon impregnated with magnesium oxides at a 7:0.5 ratio, whereas the second was coated with a nickel–carbon nanotube (Ni-CNTs) composite at a 0.2% concentration. Field experiments were conducted during plowing operations using a nine-shank chisel plow at a fixed depth, with gas measurements taken at intervals between 10 and 40 min. The Ni-CNTs-based prototype achieved superior adsorption efficiencies: 85.1% for CO, 55.21% for HC, 33.71% for TSP, 90.8% for NO x , and 76.1% for SO 2 . In comparison, the AC–MgO prototype achieved removal efficiencies of 84.68% for CO, 50.0% for HC, 25.0% for TSP, 87.24% for NO x , and 67.39% for SO 2 .These findings underscore the promising potential of nanomaterial-integrated systems—particularly Ni-CNTs—in enhancing diesel exhaust treatment performance and promoting environmentally sustainable agricultural machinery.