#Ford is committed to reducing our planetary impact. Watch how we’re testing making vehicle plastics from CO2.https://t.co/YkInvj7j6T
— Ford Drive Green (@FordDriveGreen) May 17, 2016
CO2 makes up less than 1 percent of dry air, but plants still use it, "breathing" it in, and separating the two oxygen atoms from the carbon. As more and more carbon is released into the air by burning fossil fuels, scientists believe that plants could use a hand keeping up with the excess.
That's where Ford, and a company called Novomer come in.
Novomer uses a process inspired by the one used by plants to fix carbon to convert CO2 emissions into durable plastics and foams that could be used for a variety of purposes. Ford's researchers, collaborating with Novomer, think these materials could be used under the hood, and as seat cushioning.
Peter Shepard, Novomer's chief business officer says, "Novomer is excited by the pioneering work Ford has completed with our Converge® CO2-based polyols. It takes bold, innovative companies such as Ford to enable new technologies to become mainstream products."
The use of captured carbon could reduce Ford's annual petroleum usage by 600 million pounds.
"At Ford, we’re aggressively developing new, more sustainable ways to produce high-quality products, with an eye toward preserving and improving our world," says Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader of sustainability.
Captured carbon should be appearing in new Ford vehicles in Mount Pocono within five years, and all our new models at Ray Price Ford are already manufactured using a number of sustainable, renewable materials like soy foam, and rice-hull-reinforced plastic.