Project Proposal

Project CARbon Capture (CARC)

March 5, 2021

By:
Chase McAndrew
Vanessa Diaz
Nick Lloyd
Lucy Mogan
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Table of Contents:

Background 2

Objectives 2

Broader Scope 3

Timeframe 3&4

Project Budget 4

Development Process 4&5

Tests, Surveys, and Data 5

Current Solutions 5, 6, & 7

Scientific and Engineering Concepts 7

Evaluation 7

Signatures and Mentors 7

Citations 8

Appendix 9, 10, & 11

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Background
Global warming is a huge issue we are currently facing with Earth warming faster than it has in
the last 2,000 years. Carbon dioxide (CO​2​) is one of the main greenhouse gases causing it along
with others, even though CO​2​ has 1 GWP (global warming potential) there is an abundant
amount of it. Due to its abundant amount it causes a greater impact, it also lasts longer in the
atmosphere than others causing them to build up faster. It doesn’t help that trees are being cut
down since plants sequester CO​2​ and release O​2​ (oxygen).

There are technologies combating climate change as time progresses, but it could be improved. It
is a very broad issue, there are multiple sources that contribute to the release of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The issue of carbon emissions is mild in
developed countries while in undeveloped countries it is not mild, so our focus is on that. There
are multiple ways and solutions to go about combating this huge issue, but narrowing it down by
focusing on carbon capture methods which solves one problem out of the many in global
warming is a step.

Focusing specifically on the capture of emissions of CO​2​ cars release is our main goal. Even
though there have been technologies made, it could be improved to be more efficient and less
expensive which is our aim. We are planning to get the issue at one of its sources and make it
cheap so it could be available in developing countries.

Our solution to this issue is creating a cheap product being a long lasting exhaust pipe attachment
for cars to get the carbon emissions at its source. Our product will be used and installed in cars in
developing countries since they tend to emit more greenhouse gases than developed countries.
We also are aiming to create a product that does not cause much if any inconvenience so more
people feel comfortable using our product.

Objectives
➢ Identify an overarching problem and different possible solutions
➢ Background research to understand the market and other current solutions
➢ Specify the requirements and design factors that need to be met
➢ Develop design and produce a project proposal
➢ Estimate costs and research materials
➢ Create and test the prototype (improve design)
➢ Build the final product
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Broader Scope
Global warming is caused due to an increased amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reflect heat energy back onto the earth to keep it warm
enough. Burning fossil fuels for energy releases these greenhouse gases which leads to an
increase in the earth’s temperature.

Other than burning fossil fuels, there are many practices that can lead to an increase in
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Our main focus is on the exhaust of vehicles because they
have a big impact on global warming. Most cars release many different gases and toxic articles
into the air due to the burning of gasoline. There are a few things that have been put in place to
reduce the amount of toxic gases released, like ethanol in the gasoline and a catalytic converter.
But there is still a huge amount of CO​2​ being emitted.

Our product is designed to be convenient for customers and help lessen the impact of carbon
emissions' role on global warming. This product will add onto the toxic gas reducing products by
filtering as much carbon dioxide as possible. It won’t be a permanent solution, but one to slow
the impact of global warming while we can find a cleaner way to live.

Our primary market is to developing nations, who are large contributors to pollution but lack
many of the means to make a noticeable impact. In creating a cheap product from common
materials, it is our hope that poor countries may benefit from this initiative. If the product is
more affordable, more people will be willing to invest in it.

Timeframe
Design Step Task Start Date End Date

Step 1 & 2 Project proposal and 1 - 16 - 2021 2 - 26 - 2021

alternative designs

Step 3 Evaluate and narrow 3 - 1 - 2021 3 - 19 - 2021

down alternative
designs

Step 4 & 5 Detailed Design 3 - 22 - 2021 4 - 30 - 2021

Step 6 & 7 Testing and 5 - 3 - 2021 5 - 26 - 2021

Evaluating
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Step 8 Final product and 5 - 27 - 2021 6 - 10 - 2021
presentation

Project Budget
We want to offer and manufacture a product that will be affordable and convenient for
consumers around the world. To do this the material must be easily made and transported. For
the outside shell of the filter, stainless steel is a good option because it is somewhat cheap and
durable. The inside of the shell would be made of a particle filter and a carbon filter. The particle
filter could be a filter made of metal or some kind of cheap, durable cloth material. The CO​2
filter could be a few different materials depending on the cost and availability. Some possible
ideas are a metal organic framework film, Escherichia Coli bacteria, and potassium hydroxide
solution. We are aiming to find materials that are the most effective but recyclable and cheap.

Development Process
Research the Problem:
A strong background on the process of global warming and carbon capture technologies is
important to creating our product. We need to know who the biggest problems are and who are
causing them to focus our project on. We will look at existing filters and carbon capturing
technology that we could apply to our product. We need to make sure our product will be safe
for customers and follow safety guidelines. Researching the market and what people need or
want will help make our product desirable for consumers.

Design a Product:
We will use the information we have to design our own kind of carbon dioxide filter. Using large
scale technology and trying to find a way it could work on a smaller scale. Also looking into
other existing filters and improving their performance or design. Our group will brainstorm and
come up with many different ideas on how we can make some kind of a filter with a
classification scheme and other sketches.

Build the Prototype:

Using sketching software like CAD and maybe 3D printing, we can make our final design into a
physical object. The CAD software will help us visualize what the product will look like. To
keep in mind the wants of the consumers we will make our product as small and blended in as
possible to stay away from changing the looks of the car along with the performance.
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Testing:
We will test the product if we end up building a prototype but, if that doesn’t happen we could
just test the materials we plan on making the product out of. Using different methods, we would
need to test the durability, safety, fit, how long it could last before replacing, and its ability to
capture carbon dioxide. The filters are important to test because the amount of harmful particles
and gases captured is a big part of this product. Also the product has to be durable so nothing can
harm other people while in use.

Build Final Product:

Evaluating the results from the testing will help improve the prototype to make our finished
product. Also looking back to our human centered design research we can make sure the product
doesn’t affect the looks or performance of the vehicle. Making sure it can be small, affordable,
and absorbs the most carbon dioxide.

Tests, Surveys, and Data

Going forward we need to research the best materials that can sequester large amounts of carbon
dioxide. A filter will require to be replaced or drained/cleaned every once in a while so we also
have to take that into consideration. Most problems with other filters is the timespand and cost of
each one so we will need to figure out a material or system that will last longer and be more
affordable.

Once our prototype or materials are created, we will need to test the performance and safety
features of the filter to make sure it works safely. We would have to test and research what
materials can withstand a multitude of situations and environments so the filter will last and
continue to sequester CO​2​.

Another factor we need to keep in mind is the effect on the looks and performance of the car. In
our survey, we found most people wouldn’t sacrifice the looks of their car for our product so we
need to find a way to keep it small and unseen. There were also some concerns about how it
would affect the performance of the car. There wouldn’t be much of an effect because the filter is
focused on the post-combustion fumes.

Current Solutions
Solutions now are all large scale practices for factories and power plants. There aren’t many CO​2
filters for cars but many reactions and carbon capture technology exist today. The large scale
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technology is expensive and only targets a part of the problem. The smaller filters that do exist
are expensive and don’t last very long.

Direct Air Capture:

Through chemical reactions, air is pulled into systems that separate the carbon dioxide from all
the other gases. The carbon is isolated as much as possible then used to make other products or
stored underground. The drawback to the direct air capture system is that it’s very expensive.
The technology takes time and a lot of materials so it's difficult to set up and maintain. It also
requires many steps which can be hard to mass produce.

Large Scale Carbon Capture:

Carbon capture can be done in three different ways, Pre-combustion, Post-combustion, and
oxyfuel combustion. In pre-combustion carbon capture, the coal is baked with oxygen at very
high temperatures to produce syngas. When treated with steam, the result is hydrogen and carbon
dioxide. The carbon dioxide is dissolved and separated from the hydrogen that then powers a gas
turbine. In post-combustion, the fumes that would normally be released into the atmosphere are
put through a series of reactions to isolate the carbon dioxide from all the other gases. For
oxyfuel combustion, the coal is burnt in oxygen rich air (diluted with recycled flue gas) to
produce carbon dioxide and steam. When the steam is cooled and condensed there is a stream of
CO​2​ left behind. In all three techniques the concentrated carbon dioxide is sold and used to make
other products or stored underground.

Diesel Particle filters:

These filters are made for large factories and transportation trucks. They filter out toxic particles
and gases to make them more safe for people and the environment. The filters collect solid
particles and use materials/chemicals that remove toxic gases. The drawbacks to this product is
that carbon dioxide is not targeted. The toxic gases are the main focus which is good but there
needs to be more focus on CO​2​ to help with global warming.

Catalytic Converter:
Systems that are put into all vehicles that use catalysts to convert toxic gases like carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons into water vapor, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. The
catalysts inside promote chemical reactions to change the toxic gases into less toxic ones. A
catalytic converter is located in between the muffler and manifold in the exhaust system. The
only drawback is that a lot of carbon dioxide is still released into the atmosphere. The materials
used are rare and expensive so they are often stolen from cars.

CO​2​ Filters (CO2ube):

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This specific filter is made from algae and sodium hydroxide to filter out carbon dioxide. It is
small and fits in with the car on the exhaust pipe. The drawback to this product is that it is
expensive ($45) and lasts around 8-10 weeks. The cost is a problem because it will be hard to
market and get people to want to buy something like this.

Scientific and Engineering Concepts

➢ Catalysts:
A catalyst is some material that helps speed up a chemical reaction. They do this by
reducing the activation energy needed or changing the reaction process.
➢ Global Warming:
Global warming is the constant warming of the earth's atmosphere. It is caused due to an
overpowering amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous
oxide. They all redirect the infrared light back to the earth's surface for a second time.
The increased amount of greenhouse gases causes an overheating of the earth. Climates
will change and cause huge upsets like extinction of plants and animals.
➢ Fossil Fuel:
Fossil Fuel is created from the fossilization of dead plant and animal matter over long
periods of time. They are filled with carbon because of the long period they have been
able to acquire minerals and nutrients from other matter. Some examples of fossil fuels
are coal, crude oil, and natural gas.

Evaluation
Our product won’t be evaluated until June of 2021. The head of the senior STEM class,
Mr.Tronconi, will be evaluating our final product.

Signatures
Lucy Mogan Vanessa Diaz Nick Lloyd Chase Mcandrew

Mentors:
Mrs. Virginia Vogl ​(STEM Chemistry teacher): *Has not provided comment*
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Mr. Nicholas Williams​ (STEM/Physics teacher): “​You definitely want to minimize the
vibrating and shaking and the more dampeners (absorbers of motion) you include, the less the
sound will be an issue. Currently, I think that's done by catalytic converters, but I know that
those are a hot item for theft since the metals that do that work are really rare and
super-expensive, so when they get sawed off they're a couple thousand to replace, so finding a
way to minimize exhaust using less expensive metals or chemicals would also be really
relevant.”
In our design, we are working to make our final product as affordable as possible so stealing
won’t be an issue. It could replace the catalytic converter if necessary so consumers wouldn’t
have to spend so much money on getting it fixed.

Dr. Michelle Lafevre-Bernt​ (Biotechnology teacher): *Has not provided comment*

Evaluator:
Mr. Claudio Tronconi
(​STEM Senior Engineering teacher)

Citations
https://cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/270916_CCSexplain_2.jpg
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/07%3A_Case_Studies-
_Kinetics/7.01%3A_Catalytic_Converters
https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13705-018-0177-9
https://ehcteknik.com/products/l20-filter/
https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/fuels-environment/emissions#:~:text=In%20theory%2C%
20you%20should%20be,came%20in%20with%20the%20air​.
https://www.wri.org/blog/2021/01/direct-air-capture-definition-cost-considerations
https://www.cnet.com/news/co2ube-filters-out-carbon-dioxide-from-your-tailpipe/
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-chemistry/kinetics-ap/arrhenius-equation-mechanisms
-ap/a/types-of-catalysts
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/greenhouse-effect-101
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/fossil-fuels-dirty-facts

Appendix
Possible Sketched Ideas:
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Classification Scheme Design Specification:

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Functional Decomposition Coggle: