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Students in the Netherlands have developed an electric car capable of storing carbon dioxide as it races through the streets, potentially revolutionizing the automotive industry and ESG goals.
Students from Eindhoven University of Technology developed an electric car that, in addition to not polluting the environment, can still remove and store carbon dioxide while moving. The prototype was named Zem.
Students' electric car uses a 2,3 kWh battery
This is the university's seventh iteration of students linked to the more sustainable vehicles and less polluting. The EM-07 is the answer to the challenge of developing a zero-carbon car.
The vehicle's chassis was developed using additive manufacturing techniques to mitigate waste and generate a minimum of polluting emissions, also using recycled plastics that can later be reused for other projects. Inside, there's pineapple leather and the windows are polycarbonate instead of glass. The electronics and entertainment components are modular and can be reused as well.
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Details about the students' electric car engine and also about the power supply were not disclosed. However, the estimate is that the vehicle capable of store carbon dioxide using nine 2,3 kWh modules, a 22 kW engine, and the differential, responsible for transforming the speed coming from the axle into two different speeds, from an old Audi. It is also estimated that a regenerative braking system and photovoltaic cells on the roof and hood will be used.
Filters to store carbon dioxide must be changed every 320 KM
For every 20,6 km traveled, the students' electric car has the capacity to remove about two kilograms of CO₂ from the atmosphere. Although the number is not large, considering that the technology can be improved and replicated in millions of vehicles on the roads, there is a potential impact on decarbonization efforts worldwide.
One of the challenges now is related to the capacity of the filters, which until then are depleted every 320 km, which means that they must be replaced, for example, when recharging the batteries. After cleaning, they can be used again.
According to Louise de Laat, coordinator of the study, the students managed to get ahead, bearing in mind that it is possible to expand the capacity of the filters in the coming years. There is also no concrete plan yet on what to do with the carbon dioxide that is captured.
The team plans to continue advancing with the electric vehicle capable of storing carbon dioxide and showing the automotive industry what can be done and that there are different ways to address the issue of pollutant emissions.
Brazilians turn CO₂ into Fuel
It could be a response to the study by Louise de Laat, researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) are developing a project to transform carbon dioxide into fuel or plastic.
Despite being subjected to high pressure, a new catalyst made from zinc, carbon and nickel, transformed CO₂, one of the main generators of the greenhouse effect, into carbon monoxide.
Tests and research results have shown that it is close in the near future scientists will be able to manufacture in concrete form petroleum derivatives, as well as fuels and plastics.
