Onboard Carbon Capture Lifecycle Assessment Highlights Savings

A life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has quantified onboard carbon capture’s potential to provide GHG emissions savings.

The study provides an in-depth analysis of GHG emissions and costs associated with onboard carbon capture systems (OCCS) across the entire carbon value chain, accounting for emissions from fuel production, transport and use, to CO2 capture onboard the vessel and its final disposition.

The deployment of conventional MEA-based OCCS can result in a WtW GHG emissions savings of 29% for an HFO-fuelled ship.

Replacing HFO with biofuels presents a promising strategy for maximising GHG emissions savings. The WtW emissions savings for a vessel deploying MEA-based OCCS range from 69% to 121% when using bio-LNG and biodiesel from used cooking oil, respectively.

Among the post-capture scenarios evaluated, fixing the captured CO2 in concrete is most effective. This approach can increase GHG emissions savings from 29% to 60% across the carbon value chain by partially displacing the need for carbon-intensive cement in applications ashore.

Post-capture transport and permanent storage of CO2 add minimal emissions, approximately 1% to the WtW emissions of a vessel deploying MEA-based OCCS when the captured CO2 is transported 1,000 km.

Captured CO2 can