MOL joins Japanese project to develop methane slip technology
Venture with Hitachi Zosen Corp and Yanmar Power Technologies will usher in the world’s first methane oxidation catalyst system to cut the environmental impact of LNG-fuelled engines
The new technology’s environmental impact is achieved via a methane slip reduction rate of over 70% over a six-year period by combining a methane oxidation catalyst and engine improvements
MITSUI OSK Line has teamed up with two Japanese companies to develop technology to cut carbon emissions in its LNG-fuelled vessels.
MOL, Hitachi Zosen Corp and Yanmar Power Technologies have received initial approval for the world’s first methane oxidation catalyst system, a project that aims to further reduce the environmental impact of LNG-fuelled engines.
The environmental impact alleviation can be achieved via a methane slip reduction rate of more than 70% over six years to 2026 by combining a methane oxidation catalyst and engine improvements and verifying the design concept in actual vessels, according to a statement.
The approval of the new system by the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, a non-governmental organisation which ensures the safety of life and property at sea, and the prevention of pollution of the marine environment, is an important first step towards establishing the technology for this methane oxidation system.
The system reduces methane slip by placing a methane oxidation catalyst in an LNG fuel engine and oxidising the methane.
This project has been adopted by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation as a way to develop methane slip reduction technology in LNG-fuelled vessels. NEDO is Japan’s largest public management organisation promoting research and development as well as deployment of industrial, energy and environmental technologies.
Hitachi Zosen and Yanmar Power Technologies have created the system design, with MOL and Namura Shipbuilding set to build the actual demonstration vessel and design the system’s installation.
The proposed system meets the requirements of the International Code of Safety for ship using gases or other low-flashpoint fuels.
MOL said it aimed through this methane oxidation project to further reduce the environmental load of LNG-fuelled ships by establishing the operation of methane reduction technology on actual ships.
