After successfully completing sea trials on a Lomar vessel, Lomar’s corporate venture lab, lomarlabs, has reported that the Seabound technology has captured approximately one tonne of CO2 per day during the test. The pilot project demonstrated the viability of cutting CO2 emissions and bringing new, affordable technology to the shipping and larger maritime industries using a prototype system.
Lomarlabs started working with the climate tech start-up in April of last year. To test the system, which runs on recyclable consumables and doubles as a sulphur scrubber, Lomarlabs employed the Lomar containership SOUNION TRADER as a floating lab. The prototype system was installed on deck, below the ship’s exhaust funnel for the engines. This cooperative trial demonstrated the effectiveness of Seabound’s innovative method, which converts CO2 emissions into solid calcium carbonate pebbles via calcium looping, a second-generation carbon capture technology. The limestone pebbles are harmless, non-toxic, and safe to store on board. They can then be offloaded in port in their pure state for sale or reconstituted into quicklime and CO₂, with the quicklime being able to be used again on another vessel and the CO₂ being sold for use or sequestration. This demonstrates the creative and ecologically responsible approach to carbon capture that Seabound is bringing to the maritime sector.
In June 2023, during a planned drydocking at the Sefine Shipyard in Yalova Province, Turkey, Seabound’s team installed the device aboard the Lomar vessel. Following a further risk assessment by Lloyd’s Register and testing approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Seabound’s crew set off on a two-month journey to obtain their first-ever operational experience with the system. After conducting a number of tests, Seabound was able to gradually boost the rate of carbon capture, reaching a carbon capture efficiency of 78% and a sulphur capture efficacy of over 90%. With just one device, Seabound’s technology can remove both sulphur and carbon dioxide from exhaust gases, which is a noteworthy accomplishment that highlights the effectiveness and innovation of Seabound’s technology in addressing environmental challenges. Scrubbers, on the other hand, are primarily designed to remove sulphur pollutants from exhaust gases.
All things considered, the test was successful in capturing approximately 1 tonne of CO₂ per day in the prototype system, proving the viability of this innovative Seabound technology and setting the foundation for future large-scale deployments.
“Seabound’s technology presents an attractive and viable solution for reducing carbon emissions on existing ships as well as new, with a system that is simpler to install, operate and maintain than others we have seen. We are excited to join Seabound’s mission and believe this technology could be instrumental in driving a cleaner future for maritime transport.”
Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director for lomarlabs.
“Our pilot project demonstrates that capturing carbon emissions directly from ships is not only possible but also highly effective. This breakthrough puts us on track to achieve our ambitious goal of capturing carbon onboard 1,000 ships by 2030, making a significant impact on the global effort to curb climate change.”
Alisha Fredriksson, Seabound Co-Founder & CEO.
“We are at a crucial turning point for ensuring an environmentally conscious future, mitigating carbon emissions and developing clean fuel solutions for our maritime industry. This successful sea trial represents a pivotal moment for Seabound, Lomar, and lomarlabs, together with the broader maritime industry. We are proud to have collaborated with Seabound to pioneer this sustainable solution in our efforts to support maritime innovation and cleaner, safer oceans.”
Nicholas Georgiou, Lomar CEO.
In order to support the pilot, Lomar and Seabound were able to obtain £1.2 million in grant funding from the UK Government through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3).
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