Sustainable Shipping: Alternative Fuels and Technologies for Marine Applications

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Environmental Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 November 2024) | Viewed by 7645

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Faculty of Marine Technology and Natural Sciences, Klaipeda University, Herkaus Manto Str. 84, 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania
Interests: alternative marine fuels; LNG; blue biotechnology; oil spill clean-up; cellulose aerogel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Faculty of Marine Technology and Natural Sciences, Klaipeda University, Herkaus Manto Str. 84, 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania
Interests: alternative marine fuels; oil spill clean-up; cellulose aerogels; pyrolysis; hydrodynamic cavitation; electrochemistry; smart materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Logistics and Transportation Economics, Faculty of Maritime Technology and Transport, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Ave. Piastów 41, 71065 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: sustainable shipping; maritime transport and logistics; alternative marine fuels; transport systems and storage technologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Maritime transport is extremely important for world trade, as more than 90% of world trade is carried out by sea. Consequently, fuel consumption and emissions from maritime transport continue to increase, which undoubtedly also contributes to climate change. Therefore, the shipping industry is under increasing pressure to act upon the Paris Agreement and reduce green-house gas (GHG) emissions. The ambitious new IMO strategy to reduce GHGs from ships will shape the future path towards decarbonization of the fleet and will bring further ecological challenges. The substantial emission reductions which must be achieved over the next decades are expected to drive technology development and, in particular, the introduction of alternative fuels.

There are many options for alternative fuels such as biodiesel, hydrogen, ammonia, methane and methanol. Challenges include the transition to new and alternative fuels and non-conventional technologies, as not all ships are likely to switch to the same fuel. In addition, increasing attention must be paid to the consequences of dangerous NOx, SOx and particulate emissions.

Substantial investment is being put into researching safe and economically feasible alternative carbon-neutral fuels and into developing fuel technologies. This can highly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and it is important to continue research in this area. We therefore invite you to submit articles based on laboratory and field experiments, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • LNG;
  • LPG;
  • (Bio)methanol;
  • Biofuels;
  • Hydrogen;
  • Ammonia;
  • E-fuels;
  • Technologies and solutions helping minimize the negative impact of shipping: carbon capture and storage technologies, scrubbers, treatment technologies, etc.

Prof. Dr. Tatjana Paulauskiene
Dr. Jochen Uebe
Prof. Dr. Ludmila Filina-Dawidowicz
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • alternative fuels
  • LNG
  • LPG
  • (bio)methanol
  • biofuels
  • hydrogen
  • ammonia
  • e-fuels
  • non-conventional technologies
  • sustainable shipping
  • maritime transport technology

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2705 KiB  
Article
Air Pollutant Emission Factors of Inland River Ships under Compliance
by Fan Zhou, Yan Wang, Liwei Hou and Bowen An
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(10), 1732; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12101732 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 539
Abstract
Inland river ships (IRSs) use diesel with a lower sulfur content and emit relatively low emissions, making it challenging to monitor their emissions. Sniffer monitoring equipment was installed from August 2020 to June 2022 at the Gezhou Dam of the Yangtze River and [...] Read more.
Inland river ships (IRSs) use diesel with a lower sulfur content and emit relatively low emissions, making it challenging to monitor their emissions. Sniffer monitoring equipment was installed from August 2020 to June 2022 at the Gezhou Dam of the Yangtze River and monitored emissions from 8,238 IRSs passing through the lock. We partnered with the maritime department to select 100 ships passing through the lock to extract fuel oil samples for direct fuel sulfur content (FSC) detection, which determined the actual FSC of the passing ships. The monitoring data from these 100 ships indicated that the relative error of the SO2 emission factors (EFs) and FSC results is significant at the 10-parts-per-million level. The monitoring data from the remaining 8,138 ships showed that the EFs of NO, NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 were 24.02 ± 16.92 g kg−1, 10.30 ± 18.08 g kg−1, 0.72 ± 0.60 g kg−1, and 0.92 ± 0.70 g kg−1, respectively. The NOx EFs of container ships are higher than those of other ship types, while the PM EFs for different ship types do not significantly differ. Based on these EFs, we calculated the average emission rates for different types of ships passing through locks, which is a real-time measurement method for estimating ship emissions. In addition, a comparison of ship EF measurements over the past 20 years revealed that EF values for SO2, NOx, and PM exhibited a downward trend, with the calculated results of the current study determined to be the lowest numerical level. Full article
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19 pages, 6989 KiB  
Article
Research on the Ignition Strategy of Diesel Direct Injection Combined with Jet Flame on the Combustion Character of Natural Gas in a Dual-Fuel Marine Engine
by Long Liu, Shihai Liu and Dai Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(6), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12060857 - 22 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1186
Abstract
In large-bore two-stroke diesel/nature gas dual-fuel marine engines, a certain quantity of diesel is injected into the cylinder to satisfy the full-power output engine rated power of the gas mixture. However, the ignition and flame propagation process based on the injection strategy of [...] Read more.
In large-bore two-stroke diesel/nature gas dual-fuel marine engines, a certain quantity of diesel is injected into the cylinder to satisfy the full-power output engine rated power of the gas mixture. However, the ignition and flame propagation process based on the injection strategy of diesel direct injection combined with diesel jet flame on the ignition and combustion of natural gas is unclear, which directly affects the power and the thermal efficiency of engine and emissions. Therefore, this work numerically investigates the flame propagation characteristic under the strategy of the main and pilot diesel modes. The influence of the injection timing and proportion of diesel on combustion and emission performance are further analyzed. The results show that the influence of the injection timing of main diesel (MDIT) on the combustion process and emission performance is more obvious than that of the injection timing of pilot diesel (PDIT). The results indicate that the MDIT increased from −2°CA to −8°CA, the power increased by 316 kW, and the thermal efficiency improved by 1.5%. However, the CO2 emissions increased by 10.5 g/kWh, and the NOx emissions increased by 0.7 g/kWh. Additionally, an early PDIT is not conducive to the rapid organization of combustion, resulting in decreased engine power and thermal efficiency. Furthermore, it was found that the power improved by 50 kW and the thermal efficiency improved by 0.6%, with a decrease in the main diesel ratio (MDR) from 100% to 90%. Meanwhile, the CO2 emissions decreased by 4 g/kWh, although there was no obvious change in NOx emissions with the advance of MDR. Full article
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11 pages, 1193 KiB  
Article
A Cellulose Aerogel Made from Paper and Hemp Waste Added with Starch for the Sorption of Oil
by Tatjana Paulauskiene, Egle Sirtaute and Jochen Uebe
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(7), 1343; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11071343 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2038
Abstract
One sustainable method of removing oil spills is the use of sorbents. In this study, aerogels made from paper waste and crosslinking starch are investigated as sorbents. Aerogels have a high porosity and, thus, achieve a high sorption capacity. The paper waste aerogels [...] Read more.
One sustainable method of removing oil spills is the use of sorbents. In this study, aerogels made from paper waste and crosslinking starch are investigated as sorbents. Aerogels have a high porosity and, thus, achieve a high sorption capacity. The paper waste aerogels are compared with aerogel samples that also contain hemp fibres as a composite. After hydrophobisation with methyltrimethoxysilane, the maximum sorption capacity of crude oil, marine diesel oil and lubricating oil is investigated. Aerogels made of cellulose from paper waste with starch show the highest sorption capacity of about 50 gg−1 for all studied oils. Unfortunately, hemp fibres offer no advantage in sorption capacity, but they do mitigate a decrease in sorption capacity with an increase in cellulose fibre content. This could be an advantage in a possible commercial product, so that the properties do not vary as much. Full article
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13 pages, 2645 KiB  
Article
Sorption and Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons from Brackish Water by Hydrophobic Sorbents Immobilized with Fungi
by Tatjana Paulauskiene, Jochen Uebe, Zilvinas Kryzevicius, Marija Katarzyte, Donata Overlingė and Liubov Shevchenko
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(7), 1283; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11071283 - 24 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1133
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of immobilizing fungi on the straw’s performance as an oil sorbent. The buoyancy of the straw with fungi was found to be unaffected by the immobilization process. Even when sorbed with oil, the straw floated on the water’s [...] Read more.
This study investigates the effects of immobilizing fungi on the straw’s performance as an oil sorbent. The buoyancy of the straw with fungi was found to be unaffected by the immobilization process. Even when sorbed with oil, the straw floated on the water’s surface throughout the 14-day test period. The sorption kinetics of the oil appeared similar in the straw with and without immobilized fungi, regardless of beaker shaking. However, the fraction of non-extractable oil was higher in the straw with fungi and shaking compared to the straw without shaking. This observation suggests the potential initiation of oil mining. Based on these results, it is suggested that instead of leaving the straw with fungi and oil in the water, removing it may be beneficial and allow for oil degradation and straw decomposition on land. Full article
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17 pages, 3224 KiB  
Article
A Parametric Study on the Interconnector of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells for Co-Electrolysis of Water and Carbon Dioxide
by Shian Li, Zhi Yang, Qiuwan Shen and Guogang Yang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(5), 1066; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11051066 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1810
Abstract
The shipping industry is trying to use new types of fuels to meet strict pollutant emission regulations and carbon emission reduction targets. Hydrogen is one of the options for alternative fuels used in marine applications. Solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology can be [...] Read more.
The shipping industry is trying to use new types of fuels to meet strict pollutant emission regulations and carbon emission reduction targets. Hydrogen is one of the options for alternative fuels used in marine applications. Solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology can be used for hydrogen production. When water and carbon dioxide are provided to SOECs, hydrogen and carbon monoxide are produced. The interconnector of SOECs plays a vital role in cell performance. In this study, a 3D mathematical model of cathode-supported planar SOECs is developed to investigate the effect of interconnector rib width on the co-electrolysis of water and carbon dioxide in the cell. The model validation is carried out by comparing the numerical results with experimental data in terms of a polarization curve. The rib width is varied from 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm with an interval of 0.1 mm. It is found that the cell voltage is decreased and then increased as the rib width increases. When the current density is 1 A/cm2, the voltages of SOECs with rib widths of 0.2 mm, 0.6 mm, and 0.8 mm are 1.272 V, 1.213 V, and 1.221 V, respectively. This demonstrates that the best performance is provided by the SOEC with a rib width of 0.6 mm. In addition, the local transport processes of SOECs with different rib widths are presented and compared in detail. This study can provide guidelines for the design of interconnectors of SOECs. Full article
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