Internal combustion engine systems including criteria pollutant mitigation

An internal combustion engine system comprising:

• a combustion chamber;
• a storage unit in selective communication with the combustion chamber, wherein the storage unit comprises one or more sorbent materials structurally configured to capture one or more criteria pollutants in a gas passing through the storage unit;
• an aftertreatment system comprising one or more catalysts in selective communication with the combustion chamber and in selective communication with the storage unit, wherein the aftertreatment system is structurally configured to react with one or more criteria pollutants in a gas passing through the aftertreatment system;
• a waste heat recovery unit positioned between the aftertreatment system and the storage unit, wherein the waste heat recovery unit comprises at least one of an electric turbo compound, a thermoelectric generator, and a Rankine cycle system and is structurally configured to cool gas passing from the aftertreatment system to the storage unit;
• an aftertreatment-storage unit valve positioned between the combustion chamber and the storage unit and between the combustion chamber and the aftertreatment system, wherein the aftertreatment-storage unit valve is repositionable between a storage position, in which the combustion chamber and the storage unit are in communication with one another through the aftertreatment-storage unit valve, and an aftertreatment position, in which the combustion chamber is in communication with the aftertreatment system through the aftertreatment-storage unit valve;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the aftertreatment-storage unit valve, the controller comprising a processor and a computer readable and executable instruction set, which when executed, causes the processor to:
• execute a startup procedure, the startup procedure comprising:
• directing the aftertreatment-storage unit valve into the storage position, thereby directing exhaust gas from the combustion chamber to the storage unit bypassing the aftertreatment system;
• and
• execute a secondary procedure, the secondary procedure comprising:
• directing the aftertreatment-storage unit valve to move into the aftertreatment position, thereby directing the exhaust gas from the combustion chamber to the aftertreatment system.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine system, the method comprising:

• combusting a fuel and air mixture within a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, thereby forming an exhaust gas;
• performing a secondary procedure, the secondary procedure comprising:
• passing the exhaust gas from the combustion chamber to an aftertreatment system comprising one or more catalysts;
• reacting the exhaust gas in the aftertreatment system, thereby forming a treated exhaust gas, wherein the treated exhaust gas comprises less criteria pollutants than the exhaust gas from the combustion chamber;
• passing the treated exhaust gas to a storage unit comprising one or more sorbent materials;
• and
• prior to passing the treated exhaust gas to the storage unit, cooling the treated exhaust gas, wherein cooling the treated exhaust gas comprises passing the treated exhaust gas through a waste heat recovery unit comprising at least one of an electric turbo compound, a thermoelectric generator, and a Rankine cycle system;
• and
• subsequent to performing the secondary procedure, performing a regeneration procedure, the regeneration procedure comprising:
• passing the exhaust gas from the combustion chamber to the storage unit;
• heating the storage unit above a release temperature with the exhaust gas, thereby releasing stored criteria pollutants from the storage unit;
• passing the released criteria pollutants from the storage unit to the aftertreatment system;
• and
• reacting the released criteria pollutants with the aftertreatment system.