Port of L.A. tests scrubber

   The Port of Los Angeles and California State University Long Beach Foundation said Wednesday they will develop and test a new $1.8 million seawater scrubber vessel system next spring that has the potential to reduce emissions by as much as 85 percent.
   Seawater scrubbers feature advanced emission control technology in which seawater is used to remove contaminants from a ship’s auxiliary engines before exiting the exhaust stack of a ship. Once solid carbon contaminants have been removed, the seawater used during the process is then treated, cleansed and discharged. The solid contaminants are contained and collected for later disposal.
  “Seawater exhaust scrubbers show great long-term promise for reducing ship emissions,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. “It’s innovative, next-generation technologies like these that will greatly contribute to better air quality and greener, cleaner port operations in the future. We’re glad we can be the catalyst to make that happen.”

Knatz

   Seawater scrubber systems have been shown to substantially reduce ship exhaust emissions, including 85 percent for particulate matter (PM), 50 percent for sulfur oxide (SOx), and 3 percent for nitrogen oxides (NOx), the port said. It added that the technology is of particular interest to large ships needing to meet new International Maritime Organization requirements for cleaner fuel and engine technology when these vessels operate in designated areas along the coast.
   Rolls Royce Marine, a ship technology design and manufacturing firm, will integrate and test a seawater scrubber system made by the Dupont subsidiary BELCO on a Horizon Lines containership. The vessel is scheduled to make monthly calls to the Port of Los Angeles from Shanghai.