Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to Test World’s First Marine-based CO₂ Capture System

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, is working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale ship-based CO₂ capture demonstration plant, in order to verify the equipment’s use as a marine-based CO₂ capture system. This project is being conducted with support from the Maritime Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), as part of its assistance project for research and development of technological advancements in marine resource development.

• World’s first marine-based demonstration test of CO₂ capture to take place on “K” Line’s coal carrier for Tohoku Electric
• Project will identify potential risks, and conduct operability and safety evaluations to determine ongoing specifications

The demonstration involves converting the design of an existing CO₂ capture system for onshore power plants to a marine environment, and installing it on board an actual ship in service. This project, called “Carbon Capture on the Ocean” (CC-Ocean), is intended to achieve CO₂ capture at sea, a world first.

The project is planned to last for two years. In August 2020, with verification from ClassNK, a hazard identification (HazID) study will be launched for the design of the demonstration plant and the onboard installation. Manufacturing of the small scale CO₂ capture demonstration plant and safety assessment of the system will be conducted by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding. The demonstration plant will be manufactured in mid-2021, and following operational tests at the factory, will be installed on board a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by “K” Line. Through operational and performance confirmation in an actual marine environment, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will then determine the system specification requirements as a marine-based device and will also consider how to make the plant more compact.

This demonstration experiment conducted at sea is the first of its kind in the world. The knowledge gained will be used for future development of technologies and systems to capture CO₂ from the exhaust gases of marine equipment and ships. Further, the captured CO₂ can be recycled for use as a new source of CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, or as raw material in synthetic fuel, providing a significant contribution to reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, amid rising awareness of decarbonization globally since the enactment of the Paris Agreement, has continued its efforts to find solutions for reducing GHG emissions from ships and marine equipment, and is contributing to environmental conservation.

Source: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, press release, 2020-08-31.