Ecospray’s CO2 capture tech with 80 pct efficiency coming in Q1 2024

Ecospray, an Italian company specializing in sustainable solutions for maritime and land-based industries, has unveiled its first two carbon capture technologies for the maritime sector in Athens, Greece.

The company developed a pilot plant with two CO2 capture technologies: chemical absorption using amines and calcium hydroxide. These were tested in their facility and onboard a commercial ship, demonstrating capture efficiencies of up to 80%.

Ecospray presented results from the 2023 testing phase at a recent decarbonization seminar held in Athens, saying that positive results have led to the industrialization of the carbon capture technologies in question.

Testing in collaboration with the University of Turin confirmed their viability, the company said, announcing the finalization of its solutions.

The two solutions are set to be available on the market in Q1 2024, and they have the capacity to capture up to 80% of CO2 emissions from ship operations under specific conditions.

“Thanks to the data collected, it was possible to optimize the design of the components and their selection, as well as improve the process, thus ensuring the sustainability of the project for both the company and the market. Specific designs have already been completed sizing plants to capture up to 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per single trip,” the company said.

As disclosed, the amine-based technology offers easy application in the marine sector and energy savings of 10-15% compared to conventional methods. The calcium hydroxide process achieved reagent conversion rates of 90-95%.

Ecospray is also working on a third technology involving CO2 capture with molten carbonate fuel cells, set for industrialization in 2025.

“Carbon Capture technologies can contribute significantly to achieving the ‘zero emissions of CO2’ goal by 2050 in the shipping sector,” said Filippo Lossani, Director B.U. Marine, Ecospray.

“It is necessary to adopt an analytical approach that starts from a full awareness of the state of the art and the needs of the sector. In order to implement a transition that is truly sustainable, it is essential to implement technologies that allow us to decarbonize the plants, facilities and vehicles we already have. This is what Carbon Capture is all about. Our systems will enable current ships to significantly reduce emissions and fall well within the current IMO CO2 reduction parameters. We have decided to develop different solutions to be able to adapt them to different contexts.”

Ecospray, founded in 2005 and part of the Carnival Group since 2013, specializes in integrated solutions for sustainable conversions, aiming to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Its work in carbon capture builds on years of experience in exhaust gas cleaning systems for marine diesel engines (EGCS).