FUME

A Ford plant in Michigan is safely removing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted within the factory, reducing overall CO2 emissions, and producing modest amounts of power with an innovative system that powers fuel cells with reformed auto paint fumes:

For years, automakers have sought ways to safely eradicate or reuse paint fumes generated when the protective finish is applied to new cars and trucks.

Now, Ford Motor Co. engineers think they have an answer.

Encouraged by early test results, the automaker is expanding a groundbreaking system that produces electricity from the toxic fumes.

The system collects fumes from an assembly plant’s paint shop and extracts volatile organic compounds that are normally incinerated because of their toxicity. The harmful compounds are then concentrated and used to power a generator that produces electricity for the plant.

Ford will install the technology at its Michigan Truck plant in Wayne during the first quarter of 2005. Though its output will be modest — powering lights in a single paint booth — the system will be 10 times larger than the experimental unit that debuted last year at Ford’s Dearborn assembly site.

If it proves reliable, it could be worth millions of dollars to Ford in cost-savings and licensing fees.

“We’re going to make a big step here,” said Mark Wherrett, principle environmental engineer at Ford and co-developer of the system. “It ultimately could provide a third of the plant’s power.”

Because it recycles volatile organic compounds, Ford is able to reduce consumption of natural gas used to incinerate paint fumes.

If all its Michigan assembly plants were equipped with the system, Ford says it could save 300 million cubic feet of natural gas annually.

Reducing incineration activity also cuts down on harmful plant emissions - a goal of the automaker. In 2003, carbon dioxide emissions from Ford plants rose worldwide.