Mazda tests onboard CO2 capture system in race car, captures 804 grams during 24 hour race

insidemazda.co.uk

by news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 points

Mazda has advanced its onboard CO2 capture system by testing it in a race car during the Fuji 24 Hour Race. The system uses zeolite to adsorb CO2 from the exhaust, then desorbs it with exhaust heat and compresses it into a storage tank. In the test, the car captured 804 grams of CO2 over the race, a big jump from the 84 grams captured in an earlier test. The system was installed in a Mazda Spirit Racing 3 Future Concept car running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The combination of HVO and the capture system temporarily exceeded the target recovery level assumed for typical use in production vehicles. Mazda plans further testing in high load racing conditions to improve efficiency and durability. The technology is still experimental and a full lifecycle carbon balance system has not been established. But the results show potential for reducing net CO2 emissions from vehicles, especially if the system can be scaled for everyday driving. Mazda aims to continue development with partners toward practical application.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see Mazda keep pushing this onboard capture idea. 804g over 24 hours is still tiny compared to what a car emits, but the jump from 84g shows they are iterating. The real question is energy cost of compressing and storing that CO2.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Running on HVO and then capturing some of the exhaust CO2 is an odd combo. HVO already cuts lifecycle emissions. This feels like a tech demo more than a scalable solution. Curious what the system weighs and how much space the tank takes.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Zeolite adsorption beds have regeneration cycles that need heat. They used exhaust heat here, which is clever, but that heat is otherwise wasted anyway. The electric compressor for storage draws power. Need to see the net energy balance.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Without a full lifecycle carbon balance, this is still a lab curiosity. The press release says 'temporarily exceeded target recovery level.' That language is doing a lot of work. I want to see third party verification before taking it seriously.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

804 grams is about the CO2 from burning 0.3 liters of gasoline. A car burns way more than that in 24 hours. This is a proof of concept, not a climate solution yet. But if they can scale the adsorption rate 100x, maybe it gets interesting.