Recycling car exhaust into paint

Car exhaust is a major contributor to air pollution, especially in the developing world. Car exhaust is not only unhealthy to breathe but deposits grime on clothing and walls of buildings. The carbon content contributes to global warming. According to Spectrum, a publication of MIT, a company called Graviky is seeking to turn carbon captured from car exhaust pipes from a pollutant into a valuable resource, using an unusual recycling innovation.

First, carbon soot is captured from cars with a device that fits over the exhaust pipe. Then the carcinogens and heavy metals are removed from the soot. Then the purified soot is combined with oils to create paint. The paint is stored in cans with compressed gas. The resulting product, called Air Ink, can be used just like any other kind of paint. 30 to 40 minutes of car pollution will fill a single Air Ink pen, effectively showcasing the potential to capture CO2 from car exhaust.

In a recent experiment, 150 liters of Air Ink was handed over to a group of artists in Hong Kong, who proceeded to use the paint to create street murals.

The process, invented by MIT graduate Anirudh Sharma, is not quite ready to go to market. Some method has to be devised to capture carbon emissions from car exhaust cheaply and on an industrial scale. Then the process of turning the soot into paint has to be scaled up so that it can compete economically with more conventional paint. But if the project succeeds, a source of ugliness will be in due course recycled into a product that can create beauty.