Biofuel as an alternative shipping fuel: technological, environmental and economic assessment

To reach the International Maritime Organization, IMO, vision of a 50% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction by 2050, there is a need for action. Good decision support is needed for decisions on fuel and energy conversion systems due to the complexity. This paper aims to get an overview of the criteria types included in present assessments of future marine fuels, to evaluate these and to highlight the most important criteria. This is done using a literature review of selected scientific articles and reports and the authors’ own insights from assessing marine fuels. There are different views regarding the goal of fuel change, what fuel names to use as well as regarding the criteria to assess, which therefore vary in the literature. Quite a few articles and reports include a comparison of several alternative fuels. To promote a transition to fuels with significant GHG reduction potential, it is crucial to apply a life cycle perspective and to assess fuel options in a multicriteria perspective. The recommended minimum set of criteria to consider when evaluating future marine fuels differ somewhat between fuels that can be used in existing ships and fuels that can be used in new types of propulsion systems.

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“…Kesieme et al [32] made a technological, environmental, and economic assessment of biofuels for marine applications. It is a type 2 study.…”

Section: Multicritiera Decision Analysis Mcda and Marine Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criteria and Decision Support for A Sustainable Choice of Alternative Marine Fuels

et al. 2020

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“…More recently, Kesieme et al examined the prospects of SVO, biodiesel, and bio-LNG. These fuels were selected because they were deemed to be best suited from a short-to medium-term perspective, defined in terms of potential availability in 2030 (Kesieme et al, 2019). Hansson et al used a different approach, examining the prospects of seven alternative marine fuels using a multi-criteria decision analysis and interaction with Swedish stakeholders (Hansson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…examined the prospects of SVO, biodiesel, and bio-LNG. These fuels were selected because they were deemed to be best suited from a short- to medium-term perspective, defined in terms of potential availability in 2030 ( Kesieme et al., 2019 ). Hansson et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Perspective on Biofuels Use and CCS for GHG Mitigation in the Marine Sector

2020

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Summary The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the marine sector were around 2.6% of world GHG emissions in 2015 and are expected to increase 50%–250% to 2050 under a “business as usual” scenario, making the decarbonization of this fossil fuel-intensive sector an urgent priority. Biofuels, which come in various forms, are one of the most promising options to replace existing marine fuels for accomplishing this in the short to medium term. Some unique challenges, however, impede biofuels penetration in the shipping sector, including the low cost of the existing fuels, the extensive present-day refueling infrastructure, and the exclusion of the sector from the Paris climate agreement. To address this, it is necessary to first identify those biofuels best suited for deployment as marine fuel. In this work, the long list of possible biofuel candidates has been narrowed down to four high-potential options—bio-methanol, bio-dimethyl ether, bio-liquefied natural gas, and bio-oil. These options are further evaluated based on six criteria—cost, potential availability, present technology status, GHG mitigation potential, infrastructure compatibility, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) compatibility—via both an extensive literature review and stakeholder discussions. These four candidates turn out to be relatively evenly matched overall, but each possesses certain strengths and shortcomings that could favor that fuel under specific circumstances, such as if compatibility with existing shipping infrastructure or with CCS deployment become pivotal requirements. Furthermore, we pay particular attention to the possibility of integrating deployment of these biofuels with CCS to further reduce marine sector emissions. It is shown that this aspect is presently not on the radar of the industry stakeholders but is likely to grow in importance as CCS acceptability increases in the broader green energy sector.

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“…25 At present, biofuel with properties similar to Jet A-1 can be a good candidate as an alternative fuel for the aviation sector to overcome fuel-related challenges. 26 Ethanol, a member of biofuels, is widely used in many countries for S.I. (spark ignition) engines as a petrolethanol mixture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental investigation on spray characteristics of Jet A-1 and alternative aviation fuels

Kumar

Karmakar

Kumar

et al. 2021

International Journal of Spray and Combustion Dynamics

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Potential alternative fuels that can mitigate environmental pollution from gas turbine engines (due to steep growth in the aviation sector globally) are getting significant attention. Spray behavior plays a significant role in influencing the combustion performance of such alternative fuels. In the present study, spray characteristics of Kerosene-based fuel (Jet A-1) and alternative aviation fuels such as butyl butyrate, butanol, and their blends with Jet A-1 are investigated using an air-blast atomizer under different atomizing air-to-fuel ratios. Phase Doppler Interferometry has been employed to obtain the droplet size and velocity distribution of various fuels. A high-speed shadowgraphy technique has also been adopted to make a comparison of ligament breakup characteristics and droplet formation of these alternative biofuels with that of Jet A-1. An effort is made to understand how the variation in fuel properties (mainly viscosity) influences atomization. Due to the higher viscosity of butanol, the SMD is higher, and the droplet formation seems to be delayed compared to Jet A-1. In contrast, the lower viscosity of butyl butyrate promotes faster droplet formation. The effects of the blending of these biofuels with Jet A-1 on atomization characteristics are also compared with that of Jet A-1.

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Biofuel as an alternative shipping fuel: technological, environmental and economic assessment

Abstract: Biofuel is a sustainable alternative to conventional marine fuels; the key issues in promoting the use of biofuel in marine transportation are addressed.

Cited by 74 publications

References 35 publications

Criteria and Decision Support for A Sustainable Choice of Alternative Marine Fuels

Criteria and Decision Support for A Sustainable Choice of Alternative Marine Fuels

A Perspective on Biofuels Use and CCS for GHG Mitigation in the Marine Sector

Experimental investigation on spray characteristics of Jet A-1 and alternative aviation fuels

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