The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Monday (2 December) released its latest report, presenting a new technique that creates a fingerprint for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters(FAME) bio bunker fuels.

This fingerprint identifies the feedstock origins of the FAME-based biofuels used in the shipping industry.

GCMD said FAME fingerprinting is needed as the shipping sector is increasingly using biofuels, such as FAME, to reduce its GHG emissions. With that, concerns have arisen regarding the legitimacy of biofuels and whether they are truly sustainable. 

Industry bodies are seeing a rising number of cases mislabelling biofuels purported to be made from recycled oils and fats, while suspicions persist that they might be produced from cheaper and less sustainable virgin oils.

“To address these concerns, FAME fingerprinting can be used as a potential tool to detect fraud in marine fuel supply chains and ensure biofuel authenticity. By providing a physical validation method that complements existing certification schemes, FAME fingerprinting can help justify the green premium with genuine environmental benefits and safeguard the integrity of marine fuels supply chain,” GCMD said. 

FAME fingerprinting is based on the principle that the fatty acid profile of FAME is unique to its feedstock and can be preserved during feedstock transesterification to produce FAME. The "fingerprint" can then be compared against a database of known fatty acid profiles to identify the feedstock origin. 

GCMD worked with VPS who modified existing fuel testing methods to carry out sample analyses using a gas chromatograph with flame-ionisation detection, an instrument commonly found in fuel test laboratories. 

The analysis takes about an hour, comparable to the turnaround time for current marine fuel quality testing in the supply chain. 

“We have tested this method on a variety of FAME samples from different suppliers, including virgin oils, used cooking oils, palm oil mill effluent, beef tallow and food waste and were able to identify the feedstock origins for each sample,” GCMD added.

Manifold Times previously reported Captain Rahul Choudhuri, President, Strategic Partnerships at marine fuels testing company VPS, forecasting the use of finger printing technology today will likely establish a blueprint of how future alternative bunker fuels’ feedstocks are authenticated.

Captain Choudhuri said this when he gave an update of VPS’ biofuels finger printing trials with GCMD.

Note: The full report, titled ‘Rapid forensic analysis of FAME-based biofuels: Potential use of its fingerprint as a fraud detection tool’, can be downloaded here. 

Related: Marine Fuels 360: Fingerprinting to play key role in proving biofuel feedstock authenticity and beyond, says VPS
Related: GCMD-led consortium completes trials of sustainable biofuel bunker supply chains
Related: Dr. Nicholas Clague shares VPS’ experience with alternative bunker fuels
Related: Dubai: Shipowners and peers discuss realities of biofuel adoption at VPS Biofuels Seminar
Related: Singapore: VPS panel discussion presents a masterclass in shipping’s biofuel bunker adoption issues to the deck

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 2 December, 2024

Bunker fuel testing and marine surveying business Maritec Pte Ltd (CTI-Maritec) on Thursday (21 November) issued an alert regarding testing of VLSFO samples from ships in the Singapore and Rotterdam area which reported operational problems indicated it was blended with Cashew Nutshell Liquid (CNSL): 

Findings & Insights:

In the recent-past few months several ships in the Singapore and Rotterdam area reported operational problems including fuel sludging, injector failure, filter clogging, system deposits and corrosion of turbocharger nozzle rings.

In light of the reported problems, CTI-Maritec swiftly carried out extended Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) testing for Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) samples from these said vessels.

GC-MS testing by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) method showed the presence of high concentrations (>10000 PPM) of cardol, cardanol, anacardic acid and other alkyl resorcinols. All mentioned compounds, which are substituted long chain phenols, indicated the fuel was blended with Cashew Nutshell Liquid (CNSL) from undeclared source materials or production processes.

CNSL is a non-FAME BioFuel, which is a naturally occurring byproduct of the cashew nut industry and acts as a low-cost alternative renewable fuel. It’s a substituted phenol, which is highly reactive and less stable owing to its high iodine value. The application of CNSL is known in the production of plastic, resin, adhesives, laminates, and surface coatings. CNSL has high acid values and is therefore highly corrosive as well. High Potassium found in CNSL blend fuels cause serious post-combustion deposits and corrosion of turbocharger nozzle rings.

The latest version of ISO:8217 specifies the accepted BioFuels such as FAME based biofuels, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), defined by the specifications of EN 14214, ASTM D6751 and EN 15940 respectively. 

These fuels are now established and acknowledged by equipment manufacturers (OEM), Classification Societies (Class) and flag Administrations as ‘drop-in’ fuels. There is no specification available for CNSL from any authorised body like above.

CTI-Maritec Recommendations:

CTI-Maritec recommends that shipowners should not use 100% CNSL as a marine fuel or use CNSL as a blending component in marine fuel, which is contrary to the guidance by IMO on best practices for suppliers on the quality of fuel oil delivered to ships.

MEPC.1 /Circ. 875/Add.1 section ‘5’ – where it states that:

5.3 Blend components should be tried and tested so that their typical properties and suitability for bunker production and how they combine with other components is well understood…… and

5.4 Where there are any uncertainties as to the nature and quality of blend component, any issue should be identified and resolved before its use in the production of bunkers.

Furthermore, CTI-Maritec recommends not using unestablished bioproducts in marine diesel engines. Blending these substances in a marine fuel might meet specifications as per ISO:8217 tables 1 and 2 parameter limits but may not fulfil general requirements of compliance as per Clause 5 of ISO:8217.

Photo credit: Louis Reed from Unsplash
Published: 21 November, 2024 

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recently published the first edition of the international standard for methanol as marine fuel, ISO 6583:2024.

As the convenor of ISO/TC28/SC4/WG18, Monique Vermeire, announced the publication, which covers general requirements and specifications for methanol being used as a marine fuel.

“While methanol is being globally traded based on the International Methanol Producers and Consumers Association (IMPCA) reference specifications, there was no international standard specifically for methanol used as marine fuel,” Vermeire, who is also a Fuels Specialist at Chevron, said in a social media post.

Vermeire added the ISO 6583:2024 addresses this gap by setting the requirements and limits for three methanol grades for marine: MMA, MMB and MMC – marine methanol grades A, B and C. 

“We used the IMPCA specifications as a starting point, with some properties less critical for marine and other fuel related aspects not covered,” she said.

“Grade MMC allows for wider tolerances in certain characteristics compared to MMB, while MMA includes additional requirements for lubricity and cleanliness.”

According to the sample of the standard, the document defines the general requirements and specifications for methanol from all forms of production at the point of custody transfer, prior to any onboard required treatment, for use as fuel in marine diesel engines, fuel cells and other marine applications. 

The specifications in this document can also be applied to methanol used as fuel in land-based applications of the same or similar type as those used for marine purposes.

Note: The ISO 6583:2024 standard can be purchased here or from any national standardisation organisation.

Related: ISO to develop standard for methyl/ethyl alcohol fuels
Related: Methanol Institute gives nod to ISO spec review at IMO

Photo credit: Louis Reed from Unsplash
Published: 21 November, 2024