Wärtsilä to Test Marine Scrubbers for Carbon Capture

Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment said exhaust gas abatement systems, also known as scrubbers, may soon be used to directly tackle maritime carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as technology advances enable manufacturers to design and upgrade scrubbers to capture carbon at the point of exhaust.

Wärtsilä said it has found carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be developed and scaled for ships, and that the solution is technically viable for the sector to pursue among a range of solutions helping to drive decarbonization in shipping, including alternative fuels and efficiency technologies.

The company will is install a 1-megawatt (MW) pilot plant at its test facility in Moss, Norway, allowing it 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 decarbonization goals,” said Sigurd Jenssen, Director, 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.”

Jenssen added, “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.”