Ford Canada plant revs up green technology

One of Ford Canada's assembly plants will soon be running partially on fumes - paint fumes, that is - to lessen its environmental footprint.

The automaker is in the process of installing a patented "fumes-to-fuel" system at its plant in Oakville, Ont.

Hailed by Ford as "environmentally responsible technology" and the "first of its kind in the world," the pollution-control system will convert emissions from the Oakville plant's paint shop into electricity that will help power the plant.

FIRST OF ITS KIND

"There's nothing like this in the world," Kit Edgeworth, a manufacturing expert with the Ford Motor Company, told Sun Media. "You couldn't ask for anything greener in terms of technology."

For years, paint-shop emissions - known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs - have been siphoned and incinerated in natural gas-fired furnaces that are costly and consume huge amounts of energy.

In contrast, Ford's complex eco-friendly system, which is slated to be in use by the end of the year and at full capacity by late 2008, is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 88% and eliminate nitrogen oxide emissions, Edgeworth said.

The actual power generated will be a small percentage of the plant's total power, but its future potential is limitless - including helping to rid harmful emissions in other industries, said Ford spokesman Kerri Stoakley.

A less-advanced version of the system is in use at Ford's truck plant in Wayne, Mich., where it was installed in 2005. A year before that, Ford experimented with a pilot installation at its Dearborn, Mich., truck plant.

"The Oakville system takes Ford's fumes-to-fuel technology to the next level," Edgeworth said, adding important lessons have been gleaned from the previous systems.

Meanwhile, other automakers have also been finding ways to leave a smaller footprint.

General Motors of Canada has cut VOCs from its paint booths by 70% in the past 12 years through its abatement system - one of its Green By Design initiatives, said Bryan Swift, director of environmental activities for the manufacturer.

In terms of VOCs, GM's new paint shop in Oshawa emits half the industry average per car, added Swift.

GM has also managed to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions at its plants by 42% since 1990, while increasing vehicle production by 30%, Swift told Sun Media.

"We're assembling vehicles more efficiently," he said, explaining efficiencies have come through waste reduction, waste diversion and improved use of electricity.

Honda Canada has switched its welding equipment from hydraulic to electric, a move that has reduced carbon dioxide emissions, said Jim Miller, executive vice president.

HONDA'S INITIATIVES

Other initiatives at Honda include ensuring that no waste goes to the landfill and that water gets recycled, Miller said, adding they have also been encouraging adjacent businesses to plant trees.

"Lots has and is being done," said Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, whose members include DaimlerChrysler Canada, Ford, and GM. "Pollution prevention makes a lot of good business sense, too."

But while automakers have made major strides in energy conservation, Nantais warns that future advancements will be more difficult to attain. "Further improvements are going to be incremental and more costly."

Of course, automakers have also been striving to improve fuel efficiency on all vehicles. And that, says an environmental watchdog group, is where their focus should lie.

"It's good that they're doing something at the plant level," said Jesse Row, a Calgary-based spokesman with the Pembina Institute. "But when it comes to environmental footprints, the emissions from auto-manufacturing plants pale in comparison to the cars and trucks they produce."