Wärtstilä Exhaust Treatment said scrubber systems can soon be used to directly tackle CO2 emissions as technology advances and enables manufacturers to design and upgrade scrubbers to capture carbon at the point of exhaust
The company has conducted research and development to explore how carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be developed and scaled in the maritime industry with initial findings indicating that CCS on ships is viable for the sector to pursue.
To accelerate development, Wärtsilä is installing a 1-MW pilot plant at its test facility in Moss, Norway. This plant will allow Wärtsilä to test its CCS technologies in a range of scenarios and conditions.
“Building on the success of existing and well-proven technologies, such as scrubbers, will be vital to succeeding on the industry’s decarbonisation goals,” said Wärtsilä’s director, exhaust treatment, Sigurd Jenssen who believes that scrubbers have reached a point of maturity which compels the manufacturer to explore wider applications beyond sulphur compliance.
The company believes the absence of a silver bullet to solve shipping’s environmental impact means the sector must innovate broadly across multiple areas and added that CCS, enabled by scrubbers, must take a central role.
Mr Jenssen said “CCS on board vessels is clearly a substantial undertaking, but one we believe we are well-placed to pioneer. Carbon capture is exciting because it can provide significant reductions in a relatively short timeframe. This is important in the context of the industry’s overall decarbonisation transition, as it will enable us to safeguard existing assets as we move to a cleaner mode of operating.”
Wärtsilä will take part in a panel discussion on the ways in which scrubbers can bridge the gap to zero emissions on 6 April, during Riviera’s Marine Propulsion Webinar Week. Register to attend, for free, by visiting our events page.
Riviera Maritime Media will provide free technical and operational webinars in 2021. Sign up to attend on our events page.
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