Carbon dioxide emissions have been creating issues throughout the globe, and recently the Ford Motor Company has decided to use carbon emissions from factories to create its car parts.
The automaker will be creating and testing the new plastic and foam components using carbon dioxide to make interiors and seats, reported Fortune. The company's executive chairman, Bill Ford, mentioned that almost half of the foam, which can be used for cars, is made with polyols made of carbon dioxide.
If all goes well, it would be used in engine parts and car seats, and researchers could see biofoam in Ford vehicles within the next five years. Notably, the sustainability feature is an essential part of the EV experience, and according to Ford, users who drive US vehicles will be experiencing it with or without their knowledge.
"It's really been interesting to try and come up with new ways to solve environmental solutions," Ford mentioned. "What's really cool is all this technology is enabling solutions that even two or three years ago wasn't possible."
Presently, soy foam is available in all Ford vehicles in North America, while coconut fibers are used as truck liners, soy and recycled tires in mirror gasket, recycles denims and T-shirts in carpeting, according to Clean Technica.
Incidentally, this is not the first time the automobile maker had tried shifting to carbon dioxide for its manufacture. In 2013, Ford began working with several companies to find uses of captured carbon dioxide. However, Ford has highlighted the partnership with Novomer recently.
Novomer, an innovative company based out of New York, has produced thermoplastic pellets in partnership with the Energy Department in 2013, from waste carbon dioxide. Since then Novomer has commercialized the process, and is marketing its proprietary technique under Converge.
As for the technology, Novomer uses a low - cost catalyst to convert the carbon dioxide into foam or plastic at relatively low pressure and temperature (200 to 300 psi and 35 - 50 degree centigrade).
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