Taking carbon capture on the road

The idea behind mobile carbon capture is simple: to capture as much CO₂ as possible directly from the vehicle exhaust stream, before it enters the atmosphere. If applied and managed correctly, such an approach can  lead to reductions in carbon emissions and become an appealing solution for the hard-to-abate heavy-duty road and marine transport sectors.

A brilliant thought. But can it be done?

Research scientists at Aramco have been working to answer this question for some time. 

This innovative technology installs directly onto an automobile and uses a redesigned exhaust system to capture CO₂ at the source: the gases that are produced after combustion.

The technology is powered by the heat that the engine produces during combustion, and is designed so that captured CO₂ is stored onboard the vehicle and offloaded during refueling stops. 

The first step in the mobile carbon capture process developed by Aramco is to introduce a CO₂ capture medium, such as a solution made from water and a basic nitrogen compound, into the exhaust gas stream. Once the exhaust gas comes into contact with the medium, the CO₂ naturally binds to it and is absorbed into the medium.

This isolates and removes some of the CO₂ from the remaining exhaust gases. The exhaust, with reduced CO₂, can then be released, while the captured CO₂ is stripped from the capture medium, compressed and stored onboard the vehicle until it is offloaded at a fuel station.

So what could be done with captured CO₂? Captured CO₂ could be utilized in industrial operations or stored underground through sequestration. Industrial uses potentially include Enhanced Oil Recovery, making new materials and lower-carbon fuels, growing algae, or enhancing plant growth in greenhouses. Sequestration could enable storage of large quantities underground where local utilization is a challenge. 

For potential deployment of mobile carbon capture technology in road and marine sectors, several aspects for the technology and value chain require further development.

The first challenge is minimizing the size and mass of the system, so it has the smallest possible impact on the vehicle’s or ship’s carrying capacity. The research team, through its continuous technology optimization, has reduced the physical footprint of the technology and is working to make the system more compact.

Another challenge is to reduce the cost to make it economically feasible to market to owners and operators.

An important challenge towards deployment of mobile carbon capture technology is the ability to safely and sustainably offload CO₂ after capture onboard a vehicle. This requires the creation of an entire new value chain. For potential marine applications in particular, the team has identified 27 port locations where nearby carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS) infrastructure could be potentially utilized. 

Novel applications, new developments

Our early tests show that mobile carbon capture technology offers the potential to capture around half of the CO₂ produced by internal combustion engines.

Our scientists are working with transport industry stakeholders globally on solutions to integrate mobile carbon capture technology, both on the road and on the seas. The technology has the potential to be feasible, at scale, across marine and land infrastructure.

Recently, the mobile carbon capture team began a new phase of development – integrating the technology into a class 8 heavy-duty truck. By combining mobile carbon capture with other efficiency-improving technologies, the team aims to lower the CO₂ emissions of this class 8 truck by at least 50%.

Many players, one breakthrough

To progress beyond the experimental phase and enter production, every new technology needs a deployment plan.

For mobile carbon capture, Aramco's team of experts, from market analysts and chemical engineers to data scientists and logistical experts, are collaborating with the goal of translating the laboratory's success to reality outside the lab. 

According to Dr. Tamour, although continuous scientific innovation and full value chain optimization is ongoing, the technology has the potential to be deployed in several commercial transport sectors.  If implemented effectively, a significant number of vehicles on the road and ships at sea could operate with lower CO2  emissions.

In just over a decade, countless experts have transformed mobile carbon capture from a flickering idea into a potentially feasible solution for CO2 reduction in transport. And with more effort, this revolutionary new way to recycle may be coming soon to a highway near you.