A group of engineers may have found a novel solution in human waste as motorsport attempts to lower carbon emissions and become more environmentally sustainable.
They have developed a prototype race car made from sustainable materials, that is powered by… sewage.
Or rather, sewage treatment technology that uses waste as a by-product to produce hydrogen, which is the car’s fuel.
The Manufacturing Group of Warwick (WMG), which includes students at the University of Warwick, is behind the prototype, working with sewage treatment technology being trialled at Severn Trent Water.
They anticipate the car’s mainstream release in five years, but they also acknowledge that there are still significant obstacles to overcome.
“There’s been a real push for electric vehicles and it’s fairly clear that there has to be other sort of energy in the mix as well, so hydrogen has a part to play”, Dr James Meredith, chief engineer at WMG, told BBC Sport.
“It comes from a long period of research. In essence, a microbial electrolysis cell is a method of cleaning water and allowing microbes to reproduce on recycled carbon fiber. During that process, they produce hydrogen as a by-product”.
WMG will use the car to attempt to break several land-speed records, including those that include the fastest standing and flying starts over a mile and a kilometer.
Dr. Meredith hopes that hydrogen technology will have the same amount of power as gasoline. But the challenge, particularly when developing a car suitable for racing, is reducing the size of the storage tanks.
“Hydrogen is a good fuel. It’s clean burning”, he said.
That includes more effective engines and changes to the schedule to reduce airplane travel and freight distance.
In 2026 new regulations will be introduced, which include smaller, nimbler cars and 100% sustainable fuel.
The electric car racing series Extreme E, renamed Extreme H, will switch from electric to hydrogen cars in April.
Related topics
- Motorsport
- Formula 1
Source: BBC
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