Radical new technology that transforms fumes from auto paint into energy is under development at the Ford Assembly Complex in Oakville – a green initiative funded by the Ontario government and of great interest to eco-minded Print companies.
The process, still in the experimental phase, has been helped along by a $100 million stimulus fund courtesy the provincial government, just a portion of Ontario’s Automotive Investment program. Ford has committed an additional $1 billion to expand the Oakville facility, which includes a development centre to research fuel cell conversion technology.
The premise of the Fumes to Fuel experiment is simple. During the paint application stage in an auto plant, polluting compounds (VOCs) associated with any solvent are released. These fumes are generally safely disposed of in a special thermal incinerator; however, the process is expensive and produces further emissions such as trace amounts of carbon dioxide.
Ford is not only developing impressive technology to turn fumes into a hydrogen-rich fuel that can be converted to electricity, its reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Oakville plant.
A Ford spokesman says scientists at the Oakville facility, soon to be one of the most modern plants of its kind in the world, are receiving calls from around the world from other industries interested in Fumes to Fuel.
Print companies in Oakville have enjoyed a long association with the auto industry and support the forward thinking, “Star Trek” Fumes to Fuel initiative, as new advances in automotives have a positive spin-off in the Oakville and area economy.
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