Netherlands-based Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in early May said it will be leading the consortium IDEALFUEL that seeks to address this issue by developing new, efficient and low-cost methods to produce low-sulphur heavy fuel oils from wood-based non-food biomass.
The project has received a EUR 5 million (USD 5.5 million) grant from the European Union’s Horizon2020 programme, and officially started on Friday May 1st 2020, it said.
TU/e noted ships are crucial for the transportation of goods around the world, but many are operating on heavy fuel oils (HFOs) leading to the emission of pollutants into the world’s oceans and atmosphere.
Although cleaner fuels are available, many companies opt for HFOs due to their low cost, it said.
Due to the environmental concerns and the national and international regulations associated with HFOs, there is considerable need for low-cost, cleaner and renewable alternatives to HFOs for the maritime industry.
This is the problem that the IDEALFUEL consortium will address, it said.
“IDEALFUEL is aiming to develop methods to convert woody materials such as sawdust and wood chips into renewable marine fuels,” said TU/e
The approach revolves around the conversion of lignin – the polymer found in the structural materials of plants and trees – from dry plant matter (otherwise known as lignocellulosic biomass) into renewable fuels, it explained.
Leading the project of 11 participants based in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Spain is Dr. Roy Hermanns (Mechanical Engineering, TU/e).
To achieve its goal, IDEALFUEL plans to devise an efficient and low-cost two step chemical process, noted the university.
In the first step, lignin is extracted from lignocellulosic biomass in the form of Crude Lignin Oil (CLO), leaving behind a solid cellulose material that can be used in the paper industry or even converted into ethanol.
In the second step, the CLO is refined and converted into a Biogenic Heavy Fuel (Bio-HFO) that can used in combination with traditional fossil fuels in a fuel blend or neat in the engines of the world’s maritime fleet.
Other participants from across the EU include: Vertoro B.V. (NL), Tec4Fuels GmbH (DE), BLOOM Biorenewables Sarl (CH), Uniresearch B.V. (NL), Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (CH), SeaNRG (NL), Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH (DE), OWI Oel-Waerme-Institut GmbH (DE), Agenica Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (ES), and Varo Energy Netherlands B.V. (NL).
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 883753.
Photo credit: Eindhoven University of Technology
Published: 19 May, 2020
As part of a joint development with MAN Energy Solutions and Lloyd’s Register, the trio plan to commercialise ammonia powered vessels by 2025.
Power supplied will be locally produced hydropower via underwater cable, and ENOVA is contributing USD 2.78 million to the project that is estimated to cost USD 8.55 million.
The two companies will blend UED’s VLSFO and Neutral Fuels’ biofuel, creating a bunker fuel that meets the ISO 8217:2010 RMG380 specification.
‘We need to avoid wasting lots of time and money on solutions that can’t deliver shipping decarbonisation.’
Joint research was initiated at the Gastech trade fair in Houston 2019 where they agreed to jointly develop low and zero carbon solutions for shipping.
Project has been granted funding from the EU under its Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint and aims to qualify 20MW fuel cell solutions for oceangoing vessels.
The top three positive movers in the 2020 bunker supplier list are Hong Lam Fuels Pte Ltd (+13); Chevron Singapore Pte Ltd (+12); and SK Energy International (+8), according to MPA list.
‘We will operate in the Singapore bunkering market from the Tokyo, with support from local staff at Sumitomo Corporation Singapore,’ source tells Manifold Times.
Changes include abolishing advance declaration of bunkers as dangerous cargo, reducing pilotage fees on vessels receiving bunkers, and a ‘whitelist’ system for bunker tankers.
Claim relates to deliveries of MGO to the vessels Pacific Diligence, Pacific Valkyrie, Pacific Defiance, Crest Alpha 1, and Pacific Warlock between March 2020 to April 2020.
3,490 mt of LSFO from Itochu Enex was lifted at Universal Terminal; the same bunker stem was bought by Global Marine Logistics and delivered by bunker tanker Juma to receiving vessel Kirana Nawa.
Representatives of Veritas Petroleum Services, Maersk, INTERTANKO, ElbOil Singapore, and SDE International provide insight from their respective fields of expertise on what lies ahead.
