Americas News
US Tech Firm Augments Scrubber Systems to Meet Future Emissions Rules
A US-based marine technology firm has developed a new type of exhaust emissions' abatement technology, more commonly known as scrubbers, to handle particulates as well as sulfur emissions.
EnviroCare International (ECI) said it developed its MicroMist Marine line of scrubbers in response to shipowner requests for units that could combine avoiding the use of costly distillate bunker fuel with being able to handle anticipated vessel regulations
"Customized configuring of MicroMist Marine scrubbers creates economical designs that address all related maritime environmental regulations," the company said in a statement
The statement continued: "While current regulations mainly focus on nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sufur dioxide (SO2), MicroMist Marine scrubbers also address particulate matter, sulfate, and visible plumes. ECI scrubbers are compatible with all current shipboard systems, and include built-in automation for plug and play operational monitoring."
The scrubbers are scalable and designed for each vessel class, according to ECI.
ECI produces "engineered systems, engineering services, and aftermarket service for air and water pollution control, gas conditioning, and gas cooling applications".
In 2020, the global sulfur cap on bunker fuel falls to 0.5%. With a scrubber installed, a ship can be exempt from the new rule and carry on using high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO). HSFO demand from shipping is expected to reduce significantly after 2020 and with a surfeit of high sulfur material available, prices are expected to remain low over the short to medium term.
