La Meridionale, a French ferry, is the first ship that launched to use filters that capture air pollutants from the exhaust fumes. The boat is based in the southern French port of Marseille, as reported by France24.
(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - AUGUST 26: Passengers look out from the Disney Wish Cruise ship as it leaves Port Canaveral on August 26, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The filters were able to capture 99 percent of sulphur oxides that were emitted by the ferry's four engines. It was also able to capture 99.9 percent of particulate matter from the burning of heavy fuel.
How Does it Work?
The boat's filters use technology found in power stations, in which sodium bicarbonate is injected into the exhaust fumes. Thus, this causes a chemical reaction with the tiny particles during the combustion process. In turn, the pollutants can be captured through an industrial air filter. The filter, actually, has been around for 30 years already. Hence, it's not new at all, but how it is being used now is groundbreaking.
The company has an agreement with Solvay, a chemicals supplier, which will dispose of the toxic filter residue. In the future, the company also aims to recycle it.
Many cruise companies have struggled with increased smog in the recent years, and the shipping sector is one of the biggest contributors to this. With the La Meridionale, the French government is hopeful that other cruise ships follow suit.
In fact, shipping companies are under pressure from regulators and tightening industry standards to deal with their greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants. Campaigners want faster action, and La Meridionale is taking a huge step forward with its latest development.
Some ship owners use the scrubbing technology, which sees water sprayed into the exhaust fumes that captures some of the pollutants. However, this is frowned upon by environmentalists because in many cases, the water is discharged into the sea.
There are other groups that are experimenting with running cleaner engines, specifically on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or methanol.
The idea is to move away from heavy fuel oil, and it would be interesting to see how this would work with the scrubbing technology. This is definitely a good move and we must commend the La Meridionale for their pioneering efforts. Hopefully, this will inspire other shipping companies to follow suit.
Because of the groundbreaking nature of this new technology, it will be interesting to see how other shipping companies can be more sustainable in the long term. It's a very positive development that other industries and passengers can hope to copy. They have set a new standard for all shipping companies to follow.
Related Article: Air Pollution Apps Provide Info About Heat Rise, Wildfire, and Places that Have High Percentage of Dirt
This article is owned by Tech Times.
Written by: April Fowell
