Ionada joins pilot project to develop onboard carbon capture system

Exhaust gas cleaning systems manufacturer Ionada has joined the Green Shipping Programme, a public-private partnership that aims to advance the Norwegian government’s maritime strategies and plans. As a participant in the program, Ionada will work to develop a pilot onboard carbon capture system for the maritime industry using its innovative membrane technology.

“We are excited to join the Green Shipping Programme and work alongside other industry leaders to promote sustainable shipping practices,” said Frode Helland-Evebø, Vice President Commercial of Ionada.

“Our patented hollow fiber membrane technology has the potential to revolutionize the carbon capture industry, and we believe it can play a key role in reducing emissions from the maritime sector.”

Ionada has developed a patented modular membrane contactor carbon capture system for small to mid-size carbon emitters. The technology requires as little as 50% of the space and 30% of the power of conventional marine solution carbon capture systems, according to its developer, making it an economical solution for the marine and energy industry for CO2 reductions.

The goal of the ongoing pilot program is the implementation of an on-board CCS system on a ship owned by Altera Infrastructure. The system should be scalable and flexible so that it can be used for other vessels of different size using other types of gas or oil as fuel.

The main activities of the study are mapping current on-board CCS initiatives, especially through discussions with suppliers and investigations of previous studies.

This should result in descriptions of technologies and ongoing projects, maturity, applicability, safety aspects, an overview of the cost picture, rules and regulations, and possible support schemes. A high-level description of possible synergies with CCS value chains in other industries will also be elaborated.

The study also aims to develop an Altera-specific case based on an Eonboard-shuttle propulsion design, but scalable for both the Altera Stella Maris CO2 carrier and other liquid CO2 ships for the CCS value chain. The carrier vessel cases should investigate the feasibility of mixing the captured CO2 with the transported C=2 cargo. A timeline for potential implementation should be developed.

The pilot, with associated partners from the relevant value chain, was initiated winter 2021.

“We are delighted to welcome Ionada as a partner in the Carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems on-board vessels pilot. With its innovative carbon capture technology, Ionada will be a valuable addition to our group, and we look forward to working together towards a more sustainable future for the maritime industry,” said Narve Mjøs at Green Shipping Programme.

The Green Shipping Program’s overall goal is to contribute to feasible solutions that ensure efficient and environmentally friendly shipping to achieve the national and international climate goals. These goals are to achieve cost-effective emission reductions, economic growth, sustainable logistics solutions, increased competitiveness, and new jobs.

The program has seen several pilot projects launched and completed. The most recent one saw a group of cross-industry experts, led by Grieg Star, carry out a study involving the potential retrofitting of an open hatch vessel to run on green ammonia.

The report concludes that the main challenge today is the combination of high retrofit investment costs, lack of availability and competitively priced ammonia, and unclear effects of regulatory frameworks.