Mobile Carbon Capture

Transport technologies

We’re reducing the environmental impact of the internal combustion engine.

  • Our technology has the potential to provide lower carbon transport for everyone
  • We began working on mobile carbon capture in 2010
  • Capturing the CO2 at source so it never reaches the air
  • Successfully demonstrated in cars and pickups, being validated in trucks; our next focus will be marine transport

For over 140 years, the internal combustion engine has been the heartbeat of our planet, moving billions of people, goods, and materials across the world in cars, trucks, ships, planes and trains. And the future will be no different, as more countries globally move themselves out of poverty and consume more energy.

Current estimates predict that there will be 1.7 billion vehicles using internal combustion engines by 2040. This clearly poses huge challenges for both our natural resources and the environment – particularly in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and impending targets on carbon neutrality.

So how do you develop practical solutions for reducing emissions, at a reasonable cost, and with only minimal impact on vehicle performance?

 

More efficient engines are just the start

There are several ways to increase the efficiency of a vehicle.

You can reduce its weight, improve the aerodynamics so there is less drag, decrease engine friction, and so on. Each of these can make a difference, but our ambition was to take a much larger leap forwards in terms of CO2 reduction.

An idea takes shape

The technology to capture CO2 at source has existed for a while in industrial settings such as power plants. However, capturing it on the move poses a range of complex challenges; from the physical confinements and relative lack of space on board a vehicle, through to dealing with external influences such as variable air flows as it moves.

An added complication is how to generate the additional energy needed to separate the CO2 from the other exhaust gases. Especially as burning extra fuel would cost the driver more money, and would in turn emit more CO2.

One solution lies in reusing existing "waste" energy

Engines typically convert between 25-40% of the energy in the fuel into propulsion. The rest is lost as heat through the radiator and exhaust. Our breakthrough was developing an energy recovery system that could take that wasted heat and convert it into energy to power both the CO2 capture and the compressor units.

Our carbon capture system works by taking the exhaust gases and bringing them into contact with a solvent to capture the CO2, emitting nitrogen, water vapour, and any remaining CO2. Then we compress the CO2 and store it safely in a tank on board the vehicle. 

Developing a feasibility prototype

We began in 2010, exploring different approaches to capturing CO2, including: liquid absorption, solid sorbents, cryogenic, membranes and oxy-combustion. For the feasibility prototype we decided to use a solid sorbent which came with some disadvantages in terms of its size and inflexibility. However, in 2011, after a year of development, we successfully integrated our carbon capture system into a Ford F-250 pickup truck, capturing 10% of the CO2 emissions.

Our instincts had been proven correct, and now the challenge was to make the system smaller and more efficient.

Reimagining the freight industry

Currently, over a third of all transport CO2 emissions come from road freight.

Imagine if every heavy-duty truck in the world had our mobile carbon capture technology on board. We could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 708 million tons per year – that’s about the same impact as planting 120 billion new trees.

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