Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to test marine carbon dioxide capture system

Japan’s Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, is developing a small CO₂ capture system for small ships. CO₂ capture stops the gas being released into the air rather than preventing the engine producing it. The demonstration involves converting the design of an existing carbon dioxide capture system for onshore power plants to a marine environment and installing it on board an actual ship in service. The project, called carbon capture on the ocean, is intended to achieve carbon dioxide capture while ships are sailing at sea, one of the first systems of its type in the world. The project is planned to last for two years.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is working in cooperation with Japanese shipping group Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha ("K" Line) and classification society ClassNK. The project is being conducted with support from the Maritime Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as part of its assistance project for research and development of technological advancements in marine resource development. Manufacturing of the first small-scale carbon dioxide 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 bulk carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co which is 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.