Dear reader,
According to a study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), which is attached, cruise ships emit as much toxic sulphur as 1 billion cars.
Despite the introduction of a sulphur cap in 2020, the 218 cruise ships operating in European waters in 2023 emit more sulphur oxide equivalent (SOx) than a billion cars, according to T&E’s study.
Cruise ships are on the rise again after the pandemic, and tourist strongholds like Barcelona and Athens are once again choking on toxic air pollution from cruise ships. Venice has shown that it is possible to tackle cruise ship pollution, but bans are not the only way. Ports can significantly reduce pollution by forcing ships to plug in to the power supply in port instead of leaving their engines running and by supporting the introduction of zero-emission fuels.
Compared to 2019, the number of cruise ships, dwell time near ports and fuel consumption increased by up to 24 percent. This resulted in a nine percent increase in SOx emissions, a 25 percent increase in particulate matter 2.5 emissions and an 18 percent increase in nitrogen oxide emissions. “The bigger companies have more ships and bigger ships,” said Jacob Armstrong, T&E Shipping Policy Manager. “But bigger is not better when it comes to emissions.”
The report found that the most polluted European port was Barcelona, followed by the coastal port of Civitavecchia – northwest of Rome – and Piraeus in Greece. Cruise ships in Barcelona emitted almost three times as much SOx as all cars in the city. In Europe, the SOx limits for cars are 100 times stricter than those for ships.
Air pollutants from cruise ships in the port of Venice fell by 80 percent after the city banned large cruise ships. T&E said this proves that air pollution can be tackled, but greater electrification of ports is needed “to save lives”.
The operator that emitted the most pollutants was MSC Cruises. The company’s ships emitted almost as much SOx as the entire car traffic of 350 million vehicles in Europe. Including its subsidiaries, the Carnival Group was the biggest polluter.
Over 40 percent of the cruise ships ordered by 2024 will be powered by LNG. Even if the ships cause less air pollution, they are still extremely harmful from a climate perspective, as their engines emit methane – a gas that can store 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. P&O Cruises’ MS Iona, for example, emits as much methane as 10,500 cows #1 produce in a year.
“Switching from oil to gas is like swapping smoking for alcohol. It may help the cruise industry to reduce air pollution, but from a climate perspective it’s terrible.”
Additives are used in fuels to positively influence their properties. To ensure that these substances do not cause any negative interactions with the fuel or the engines, AGQM has developed special safety tests for biodiesel additives in cooperation with the mineral oil industry.
At the “22nd International Congress for Renewable Mobility – Fuels of the Future 2025” you can expect some information about the future funding policy framework, and on the first day of the congress we will discuss the necessary measures to combat fraud. Click here for the program: https://www.fuels-of-the-future.com/en/programme/programme-overview
The EU project (CO2SMOS), a Horizon 2020 initiative funded by the European Union, undertook an in-depth analysis of recent EU legislation that provides a policy framework for fossil-free chemicals. Building on these findings, the project recommends a series of targeted policy measures aimed at enabling the large-scale deployment of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies and increasing the uptake of CO₂-based products across Europe. The recommendations outline key regulatory adjustments and financing improvements to support the EU’s climate targets and the transition to a sustainable carbon economy, particularly in the chemicals sector. More at: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101000790/reporting
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The collection of biowaste became mandatory in EU Member States on January 1, 2024 under the Waste Framework Directive (WFD). However, current collection in the EU27 (plus Norway and the UK) is only 5.1 million tons per year, which is less than 26% of the theoretical potential. The vast majority of bio-waste (food, garden waste and residues), which could be a valuable feedstock for the bio-based industry and bio-manufacturing, is currently underutilized, representing a missed opportunity. https://biconsortium.eu/media/europe-missing-out-potential-bio-waste-almost-75-ending-landfills-or-incinerated
Advanced Biofuels Canada has released the ninth annual report from Navius Research Biofuels in Canada. Biofuels accounted for 9.44% of gasoline fuels and 6.23% of diesel fuels. In 2023, biofuels were responsible for 86% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emission reductions from the use of clean transportation fuels. Ethanol had 55% less carbon emissions than gasoline, and diesel from biomass had 87% less emissions than diesel. https://advancedbiofuels.ca/biofuel-consumption-surges-following-implementation-of-canadas-clean-fuels-regulations-biofuels-in-canada-2024-report/
North Sea Port and the Ghent-based company Terra Mater BV are working together with the Brazilian company Petrom to produce sustainable aviation fuel and base chemicals. Terra Mater will use its Alcohol-to-Jet technology developed in Ghent for this project. https://www.portseurope.com/north-sea-port-terra-mater-work-with-brazils-petrom-to-produce-sustainable-aviation-fuel/
Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Both parties agreed on a long-term partnership to jointly develop the domestic and international market for green methanol marine fuel. Under the agreement, Towngas and CPN will cooperate in the distribution of green methanol. Towngas will supply CPN with its self-produced green methanol, which has received ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS certifications. CPN will be responsible for the distribution of the green methanol fuel to its customers. Towngas will also support CPN in handling technical inquiries and providing product certification documents. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/towngas-and-cpn-sign-green-methanol-distribution-mou-to-promote-hong-kong-as-a-green-port-1034039566
Australian scientists have made a breakthrough to increase the oil yield of crops will advance the production and use of biofuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel. The technology was developed over a decade by scientists at Australia’s CSIRO science agency and acquired by Australian agricultural innovation company Nufarm. More at: https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20241108/519bfd5e85674835aa0d9c2d92ee546b/c.html
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling on the state agency to do more to ensure the integrity of imported used cooking oil (UCO) for the production of biomass-based diesel under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. According to the California Air Resources Board, fuel consumption in California of biomass-based diesel (BBD) produced from UCO has doubled from 2019 to 2023, while consumption of UCO has tripled, the RFA says, and some market participants believe these feedstocks may be of questionable origin and content. https://ethanolproducer.com/articles/rfa-to-carb-time-to-step-up-monitoring-and-verification-of-imported-uco-feedstock
L’Oréal has reached 100% renewable energy across its operated sites in the South Asia Pacific, Middle East & North Africa (SAPMENA) Zone as at end-2023. This spans all factories, distribution centers, administrative offices and a research & innovation center within the Zone. https://www.loreal.com/en/india/press-releases/science-technology/loreal-has-reached-100-percent-renewable-energy-in-india/
Crown Oil supplied 1 million liters of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) to fuel the world-famous RRS Sir David Attenborough, operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on its voyage from Maderia to Montevideo. The use of HVO will help BAS and its parent company NERC to achieve net zero consumption by 2040. https://biofuels-news.com/news/crown-oil-partners-with-british-antarctic-survey-to-supply-hvo-onboard-rrs-sir-david-attenborough/
Formula 1 plans to expand its investment in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through a new program developed with global partner Qatar Airways. This builds on the investment with logistics partner DHL and creates a broader framework for participation by Formula 1 teams and the FIA. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/formula-1-expands-sustainable-aviation-fuel-investment-through-new-qatar.1C47JaQbIt1lB35vkg6AM1
TotalEnergies has teamed up with Air Liquide to produce renewable hydrogen in La Mède in south-eastern France. This new project complements the Masshylia project for the production of green hydrogen by electrolysis, which TotalEnergies is carrying out in partnership with ENGIE. These projects will reduce the annual CO2 emissions of the La Mède biorefinery by 130,000 tons. https://totalenergies.com/news/press-releases/hydrogen-totalenergies-accelerates-decarbonization-its-platform-la-mede
European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted Nortegas Group a framework financing of up to €80 million to enable group subsidiary Nortegas Renovables to finance the construction of biomethane plants in Spain and launch a digital operations centre. https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2024-474-eib-grants-up-to-eur80-million-investeu-backed-framework-financing-to-nortegas-group-to-develop-biomethane-plants-in-spain
Japanese company Enshu Forest Energy officially began operating its 7.1 MW biomass power plant in the city of Fukuroi on November 16. According to the report, the Enshu power plant will use 90,000 tons of wood chips per year, mainly sourced from unused forest material in Shizuoka. The power plant is expected to generate around 53 GWh of electricity annually. https://bioenergytimes.com/japans-enshu-forest-energy-starts-commercial-operations-at-its-7-1mw-biomass-fired-power-plant/
International Airlines Group has announced a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) purchase agreement with e-SAF manufacturer Infinium to supply power-to-liquid e-SAF to the UK market from the end of 2026. e-SAF is made from water, CO2 waste and renewable energy and is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by around 90% compared to conventional aviation fuel. https://www.esgtoday.com/british-airways-parent-iag-signs-10-year-purchase-deal-for-synthetic-sustainable-aviation-fuel/
Metsä Group’s Tissue Paper business is taking an important step towards more sustainable transportation of its tissue products by using sustainable, CO2-free fuels for part of its outbound transportation to customers in Scandinavia. This transition is part of the company’s strategic lean supply chain program, which aims to create an efficient and lean value proposition for local markets. https://www.lesprom.com/de/news/Mets%C3%A4_Tissue_extends_renewable_fuel_use_for_its_paper_transport_Scandinavia_116141/
Henkel Corporation and Celanese Corporation have announced a partnership to improve the circularity of emulsion production through the use of carbon capture materials. Earlier this year, Celanese launched a Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) project at its Clear Lake, Texas site. The CCU technology captures CO2 emissions from industry and uses hydrogen to convert them into methanol, from which 35% of the vinyl acetate monomer is extracted. More at: https://www.world-energy.org/article/46479.html
HSBC Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific and EcoCeres launch an initiative to promote the use of SAF. By bringing together HSBC’s home airline and a local SAF manufacturer, the collaboration aims to support a key innovation for the long-term decarbonization of air travel and foster a local SAF ecosystem for Hong Kong. https://bioenergyinternational.com/hsbc-cathay-pacific-and-ecoceres-partner-in-hong-kong-saf-initiative/
Researchers in the US labs of Joshua Yuan at the McKelvey School of Engineering and Susie Dai at the University of Missouri are using electrocatalysis to convert carbon dioxide into intermediates, which are then converted by microbes into lipids or fatty acids and eventually become biodiesel feedstocks. Using electrocatalysis of carbon dioxide, an electro-biodiesel was produced that is 45 times more efficient and requires 45 times less land than soy-based biodiesel production. https://engineering.washu.edu/faculty/Joshua-Yuan.html
Eni and MSC signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing joint initiatives in the field of sustainability and energy transition. Eni and MSC intend to extend the scope of their already fruitful business relationship to a broader geographic context and, in particular, to areas relating to sustainability and decarbonization of their operations. https://www.eni.com/en-IT/media/press-release/2024/11/pr-eni-msc-work-together-to-achieve-decarbonization.html
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