CO2 marine transportation: an energy & techno-economic analysis

Abstract

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO΍) emissions have raised the global average temperature in 1.0 °C with respect to pre-industrial levels and this increase is likely to reach 1.5 °C before 2050, according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2021). To limit the temperature rise, most envisioned policies regarding CO΍ emissions rely on carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), being essential to keep its concentration in the atmosphere below 450 ppm by 2100. IPCC forecasts 12 Gt/y of CO΍ removal in 2050 but the current capacity is 40 Mt/y. CCUS play a vital role in decarbonization, and it may be impossible to get emissions to net-zero fast enough without them. For the marine industry, CCUS facilitate both CO΍ capture and transport. Ships fitted with this technology can capture carbon from burning fossil fuels. Among the newbuilding ships in 2021, 88% of them were fuelled with fossil fuels and according to ABS, in 2050 still 40% of them will be in this situation. Therefore, CO΍ capture onboard is necessary. Ships can also transport captured CO΍ to facilities for its use and/or storage. This article investigates the value of ships as CO΍ carriers, focusing on the transport conditions of CO΍. An energy and techno-economic analysis is performed, considering several combinations of pressure and temperature. From an exclusive transport perspective, results show that lower pressures of CO΍ are likely to be more economic. From the pre-processing point of view, results suggest that higher pressures of CO΍ will imply energy savings and potentially cost savings. From the whole logistic chain perspective, the trade-off pressure is still unknown. More research is advised.