Mazda just figured out how to melt metal using plant waste instead of coal.

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Their Hiroshima factory now runs a cupola furnace on briquettes made from coconut shells. This has never been done before in manufacturing.

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What exactly is a cupola furnace? It's basically a giant metal oven that melts iron to make car parts like engine blocks and brake discs.

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Most furnaces burn coal-based coke that pumps CO2 into the air. Mazda's plant-based fuel creates a cleaner loop.

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But wait - how did they make this work? Plant fuels burn differently than coal. Engineers had to solve challenges with energy levels, ash production, and burning patterns.

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They're not stopping at coconuts. Mazda is now collecting used coffee grounds from local shops to turn into fuel briquettes.

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Can plant waste really power heavy industry? Mazda says yes - they've proven their metal-melting furnace runs just as efficiently on biomass as it does on coal.

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Why does this matter? Car manufacturing creates massive emissions before a vehicle ever hits the road. This tackles one of the dirtiest parts of making cars.

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The company created a special working group with partners to develop this technology and find local waste materials to use as fuel.

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Mazda plans to run all their metal-melting furnaces on waste-derived plant fuel by 2030 - part of their goal to make all factories carbon-neutral by 2035.

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[{"selector":"#anim-6fa54a0e-90ed-4757-b04e-3d976034f365","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bb72ef5a-332d-4280-930b-c222f627b0d5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7cac63d7-0705-4a25-9267-0bf40382a887","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.50152%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dca40045-24f5-4000-a379-2b294f676e35","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-23182c81-9ea2-4745-b9ab-b6f07a9d87df","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.2381%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Trump Signs $200B Coal Orders as Output Hits Record Low Learn more