Could modified train cars capture carbon from the air? This team has a plan to make it happen
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220720121026.htm
The researchers say that an average freight train with these direct air capture cars could remove up to 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Because its sustainable-energy needs are being supplied by on-board sources, the price per tonne is significantly lower than that of other direct air capture systems. "The projected cost at scale is less than $50 per tonne, which makes the technology not only commercially feasible but commercially attractive," Bachman says. When a train pumps the brakes, its energy braking system converts forward momentum into electrical energy. As the braking system is applied, the energy is dissipated in the form of heat and discharged out of the top of the train. "That is wasted energy," says lead author E. Bachman, founder of CO2Rail. "Every complete braking maneuver generates enough energy to power 20 average homes for a day, so we're not talking about a trivial amount of energy." This energy, the authors suggest, should be used to help mitigate climate change.