Towards decarbonized heavy-duty road transportation: Design and carbon footprint of adsorption-based carbon capture technologies using life cycle thinking

Road transportation is a necessity for global economic activities because it not only moves goods but also connects people. On the contrary, it contributes significantly to climate change. The rising demand for heavyduty transportation, coupled with increasing global warming concerns, has necessitated solutions for decarbonization. The transition to zero-emissions is challenging due to factors such as high energy-density demand, high reliability, and the need to travel long distances, which stem from fossil fuel combustion. This study designs a carbon capture and storage adsorption-based system to mitigate CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. The method integrates three classes of adsorbent materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites, and solid amines for capture and Cr-soc-MOF for storage. The study calculates the size, CO2 purity and recovery, and power demand of the system. Further, it quantifies the effective global warming potential reduction based on a comparative life cycle assessment study. The results of the study show the feasibility of decarbonization of heavy-duty vehicles through onboard carbon capture and storage.