News

Saudi Scientists From KAUST Find New Way To Store CO2

The new method for storing and transporting carbon dioxide in solid form could have a huge impact in fighting climate change.

Published

1 year ago

May 8, 2023

Nour Nasir

KAUST

Scientists from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have discovered a novel way to store and transport CO2 in the form of a powder.

The breakthrough discovery was made by a team of scientists led by Professor Cafer T. Yavuz of KAUST. The researchers created a mesh-like clathrate structure, which can physically trap molecules of one component within the crystal structure of another.

This clathrate structure proved to be a more energy-efficient way to trap and store greenhouse gasses, as it requires no refrigeration, making it much more energy efficient than current systems.

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“Our team made it possible to carry CO2 in a solid form without the need for refrigeration or pressure. You will be able to literally shovel CO2-loaded solids from now on,” explained Professor Yavuz. “The impact is wide and strong, as the global fuel industry and the kingdom entities are actively looking for ways to capture, store and transport CO2 without significant energy penalties”.

News

Volvo And Aurora Announce Their First Self-Driving Truck

The new autonomous goods vehicle was revealed at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas.

Published

3 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Nour Nasir

volvo and aurora announce their first self-driving truck

Volvo / Aurora

Vehicle maker Volvo and self-driving specialist Aurora have revealed their first production truck with full autonomous capabilities, after first announcing a partnership three years ago. The companies showed off the product of their collaboration, known as the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck, at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas.

The truck, which will be manufactured by Volvo, uses Aurora’s self-driving platform, known as Aurora Driver. The system uses multiple high-resolution cameras, LiDAR sensors and imaging radars, and can detect objects up to 400 meters away.

Aurora’s platform has already been driven billions of miles in training simulations, and around 1.5 million miles on real public highways. As well as a wide range of imaging and sensing technologies, the truck will also feature redundant steering, braking, communication, computation, power management, energy storage and vehicle motion management systems, ensuring it can operate safely alongside other road users.

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When the first 20 Aurora autonomous trucks make their debut in North America next month, they will still be overseen by human drivers until testing is complete. Aurora intends to deploy trucks between Dallas and Houston in the near future, but it’s unclear whether the fleet will consist of Volvo machinery or vehicles from another partner.

Volvo announced at the Las Vegas event that it has already begun manufacturing a test fleet of the VNL Autonomous trucks at its New River Valley factory in Virginia. Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, explained that the truck was the “first of [the company’s] standardized global autonomous technology platform,” and added that it would enable Volvo “to introduce additional models in the future”.