Ford has developed a much cleaner process to dispose of the gases.
FordÂ’s system converts the gases into fuel then fed through a molten carbonate fuel cell to produce about 300 kWh of electricity-about what it takes to power 100 homes. The process reduces carbon emissions by 88 percent and eliminates nitrogen oxides entirely.
“The Oakville stationary fuel-cell system is the first of its kind worldwide to harvest emissions from an automotive facility,” said Matthew Daraskavich, the paint-systems engineer at the factory. “Fumes-to-fuel has the potential to significantly reduce manufacturing’s emissions in an environmentally sustainable process. It is very exciting in terms of its potential future applications to manufacturing.”