K Line announces it will deploy a small-scale, marine-use demonstration plant for CO2 capture onboard a vessel. At the same time, the shipping company will conduct research and development on compact facility design together with project partners Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and non-profit organisation ClassNK.
The marine-use CO2 capture demonstration plant will be based on an onshore plant and designed to capture a portion of a vessel’s gas emissions. This project will not only verify the efficacy of capturing and storing CO2 from a vessel’s gas emissions, but also the operability and safety of CO2 capture facilities at sea. The demonstration tests are aimed at promoting the development of more compact equipment required by marine environments along with the development of system requirements necessary for stable continuous operation at sea.
The two-year project began in August 2020 with the launch of a HAZID (hazard identification) evaluation of the demonstration plant and deployment on vessels, with verification from ClassNK. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will begin development and construction of a small-scale CO2 capture demonstration plant and evaluation of system safety. In the middle of 2021, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will begin test operation of the demonstration plant at its factory. After this, it will be deployed on K Line’s Corona Utility, a thermal coal carrier operated for Tohoku Electric Power. By the end of fiscal 2021, the project partners will start operating the demonstration plant onboard the vessel and measuring the system’s performance under marine conditions, with the aim of jointly developing a new marine system for vessels.
Recycling CO2
It is said to be the world’s first marine demonstration test and it is hoped it will provide insights into facilities design and technologies for capturing CO2 emissions and achieving zero emissions onboard vessels. Additionally, the captured CO2 is expected to be recycled as a new CO2 source for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes or as raw material in synthetic fuel through methanation. In this way, the project will significantly contribute to the long-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The project is supported by the Maritime Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as part of its programmes to support research and development for advancing marine resources technologies.
