Wärtsilä highlights potential for scrubbers in carbon capture for shipping

Finnish shipping company Wärtsilä has announced that carbon capture technology could be added to scrubbers in order to capture CO2 from a ship's emissions.

Exhaust-gas cleaning systems are used to remove harmful gases from ship exhaust emissions such as sulphur dioxide but the shipping company have conducted research into their application in removing carbon dioxide in order to reduce overall emissions.

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Initial findings suggest the use of scrubbers with carbon capture properties could be viable for use in the shipping industry. In order to conduct further research, Wärtsilä will be installing a 1MW pilot plant at its test facility in Moss, Norway.

The company hopes the plant will allow them to test its carbon capture ideas in a number of scenarios and conditions.

Carbon capture technologies are essential in allowing for the complete decarbonisation of the shipping industry as it is unlikely ships will be able to operate on a strictly net-zero quota without actively removing the carbon dioxide it produces.

Given the scale of the decarbonisation efforts needed in the coming decades, Wärtsilä believes focusing on the largest emitters is key.

Sigurd Jenssen, the director for exhaust treatment at Wärtsilä said: "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 we explore the wider applications beyond sulphur compliance.

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"[Carbon capture technology] onboard vessel 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 decarbonisation transition, as it will enable us to safeguard existing assets as we move to a cleaner mode of operating."

Back in February, the European Parliament rejected calls for a ban on scrubbers.

Several areas, including the key Asia-Pacific bunkering hub of Singapore, have banned open-loop scrubbers in their waters, which represent the most common form of scrubber.

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