En-training CO2

Could modified train cars capture carbon from the air?
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220720121026.htm
“Rail-based direct air capture cars would not require zoning or building permits and would be transient and generally unseen by the public.”

These purpose-built train cars use large vents to intake air, which would eliminate the need for the energy-intensive fan systems that stationary direct air capture systems use. After a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide has been captured, the chamber is closed, and the harvested carbon dioxide is collected, concentrated, and stored in a liquid reservoir until it can be emptied from the train at crew-change or fueling stops…

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.

DB2

These purpose-built train cars use large vents to intake air, which would eliminate the need for the energy-intensive fan systems

Because…uh…moving a train car is easier than moving a fan blade?

Mike

These purpose-built train cars use large vents to intake air, which would eliminate the need for the energy-intensive fan systems

Because…uh…moving a train car is easier than moving a fan blade?

The authors write about that in their paper.
www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(22)00299-9?_returnURL…
“At first glance, it might seem that the kinetic energy requirements in the transportation of a mobile system might outweigh the benefits. However, since the primary advantage of the system is to capture and utilize the tremendous regenerative braking energies generated from stopping or slowing an entire train many times per day, a detailed life-cycle emissions analysis shows that Rail DAC is a highly efficient means of carbon capture. The system will harvest orders of magnitude more CO2 than is indirectly emitted by the locomotive(s) in additional fuel proximate to their operation from train loading, aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance.”

DB2

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