Americas News
Arq Fuel to Make Bunkers from Mining Waste in Louisiana
Environmental technology company Arq Fuel plans to build a facility in Louisiana to make bunker fuel from mining-industry waste products.
London-based Arq will invest up to $40 million to build the facility in St Rose, the office of the Governor of Lousiana said last week.
The plant will take "an intermediate wet-cake material produced from discarded mining materials" and turn it into blendstock for bunker fuel, according to the statement. The fuel will have lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional bunkers.
The need for the shipping industry to decarbonise, as well as the higher cost of VLSFO compared with HSFO, is driving a range of innovative new alternative bunker fuels to market. For these fuels to take off they will need to be reliably supplied around the world, be able to compete on price with conventional bunkers and other alternatives, and preferably be compatible with conventional bunkers.
The facility will be based on five acres of land, and will provide 12 new direct jobs and 31 indirect jobs, the governor's office said.
