Carbon dioxide (CO2) is now in the atmosphere at a level of more than 400ppm – a worrying acceleration from the pre-industrialisation level of 270ppm. Any pathway to mitigate climate change requires the rapid reduction of CO2 emissions but as a critical life-sustaining substance for example, in the photosynthesis of plants, banning CO2 completely cannot be the solution. 

In fact, this rich resource can present many opportunities if it is utilised in innovative ways.

Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) is the process of capturing CO2 to be recycled for further usage. CCU aims to convert the captured CO2 into more valuable substances or products such as plastics, concrete or biofuel, while maintaining a carbon-neutral production process.

Given CO2 can be a useful raw material to produce valuable molecules for different kinds of applications, there is significant potential for applications in the automotive/mobility industry. Research has shown CO2 from the air can be directly converted into methanol at relatively low temperatures. As a clean-burning fuel for internal combustion or a fuel for fuel cells this could be a useful alternative to fossil fuels.

Technology has also been developed to allow the economic conversion of atmospheric CO directly into valued carbon nanofibres for industrial and consumer products, which have multiple design and manufacturing applications in our industry.

Join this 2-hour session and hear more on these innovations as well as to discuss what  major challenges need to be overcome - is the cost involved worth it? What about the life cycle assessment and the energy requirement?

Our experts are ready to cover the challenges and potential of CCU in automotive applications.