UK study explores carbon capture technology application in shipping

Marine engineering firm Houlder Ltd will partner with PMW on the study, consulting on key variables within the study to assess the practical viability of the technology and its potential application for shipping.

The joint study will evaluate feasibility, costs, infrastructure, impacts and potential benefits of using advanced carbon capture technology for use in decarbonising shipping.

Carbon capture and storage is one potential method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by trapping harmful emissions released from burning fossil fuels and storing them.

Achieving IMO’s emissions reduction goals will require major changes in fuel and vessel design, and, as PMW Technology director Paul Willson pointed out, carbon capture is likely to be less costly than uptake of renewable fuel options such as hydrogen and ammonia which is expected to require US$1Tn in investment.

Mr Willson said “Carbon capture from marine engines offers shipping the opportunity to avoid the huge cost of new fuel production and delivery systems, as well as retaining existing vessels and current high-performance engine designs. With our partners Houlder, Tees Valley Combined Authority and the University of Chester providing key operational and economic insights, we’re looking forward to assessing carbon capture’s potential as a more affordable means of achieving marine decarbonisation.”

PMW’s advanced A3C carbon capture process is designed to extract carbon dioxide from marine exhaust gases by freezing, then subliming the carbon dioxide. It is then liquefied and stored in dedicated tanks on board, allowing for carbon capture from vessel emissions without radical technical overhauls of marine engines and fuels.

Houlder chief executive Rupert Hare said there is a “fertile ground for start-ups” adding that Houlder is looking forward to sharing its experience with its entrepreneurial partners and guiding the project through feasibility testing and to operational reality.

PMW Technology receives funding from the UK Government’s Department for Transport’s (DfT) Transport-Technology Research Innovation Grant programme (T-TRIG).
Other carbon capture studies have taken place in Norway and in Japan.