Technology advancements allow manufacturers to design and upgrade scrubbers to capture carbon at the point of exhaust, enabling them to directly tackle maritime CO2 emissions in the near future, research by Finnish technology group Wärtsilä reveals.
Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment extensive research shows that carbon capture and storage (CCS) on ships is technically viable for the sector to pursue. To further accelerate development, Wärtsilä is installing a 1MW pilot plant at its test facility in Moss, Norway, in order 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. Exhaust gas abatement technologies have reached a point of maturity where it is only right that we explore their wider applications beyond sulphur compliance,
…said Sigurd Jenssen, Director, Exhaust Treatment at Wärtsilä.
According to Wärtsilä, carbon capture and storage, enabled by scrubbers, must take a central role within the suite of solutions helping to drive decarbonization in shipping, including alternative fuels and efficiency technologies.
CCS onboard vessels is clearly a substantial undertaking, but one that 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 decarbonization transition, as it will enable us to safeguard existing assets as we move to a cleaner mode of operating,
…added Jenssen.
