New scrubber research focuses on carbon capture

Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment has explored how carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be developed and scaled in maritime with initial findings showing that CCS on ships is technically viable for the sector to pursue. The company is now installing a 1MW pilot plant at its test facility in Moss, Norway which 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 Sigurd Jenssen, director of exhaust treatment at Wärtsilä. “Exhaust gas abatement technologies have reached a point of maturity where it is only right that we explore their wider applications beyond sulphur compliance,” he added.

Given the scale of the decarbonisation challenge, Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment believes efforts should be focused on the most significant problem – carbon, putting in place lessons learned from successful sulphur reduction initiatives.

“CCS on board vessels is clearly a substantial undertaking, but one that we believe we are well placed to pioneer,” added Mr Jenssen. “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,” he said.