Abstract
The lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Well-to-Wake) from maritime transport must be reduced by at least 50% in absolute values by 2050 to contribute to the ambitions of the Paris Agreement (2015). A transition from conventional fuels to alternative fuels with zero or lower GHG emissions is viewed as the most promising avenue to reach the GHG reductions. Whereas GHG and toxic pollutants emitted from the use of fossil fuels (heavy fuel oil (HFO) and marine gas/diesel oil (MGO/MDO)) are generally well understood, the emissions associated with the new fuel options are only now being measured and communicated. This review provides an outlook on fuels that could help shipping respond to the decarbonization effort including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen. A quantification of the pollutants associated from the use of these fuels is provided and challenges and barriers to their uptake are discussed.
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Article Highlights
• Implementing renewably sourced zero carbon fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia, is the most promising, and perhaps the only, option to deliver the desired greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for the maritime industry.
• Although hydrogen produced from renewable sources can achieve a WtW GHG emission reduction of 79.9% compared to conventional fuels, if hydrogen is produced from NG, the WtW GHG emissions will contribute to 96.2% more GHG emissions compared to conventional fuels.
• Ammonia produced from renewable sources (green ammonia) can achieve a 71.0% GHG emission reduction, but if ammonia is produced from NG and the current N2O emissions are not abated, the use of ammonia as a fuel will result in a WtW GHG emissions increase of 140.0%.
• Technical maturity, tank capacity and bunkering infrastructure are some of the key hurdles to overcome to implement ammonia and hydrogen across the worldwide fleet to realize a net-zero shipping future.
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Ramsay, W., Fridell, E. & Michan, M. Maritime Energy Transition: Future Fuels and Future Emissions. J. Marine. Sci. Appl. 22, 681–692 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-023-00369-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-023-00369-z