| 1. |
- Brynolf, Selma, 1984, et al.
(author)
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Review of electrofuel feasibility—prospects for road, ocean, and air transport
- 2022
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In: Progress in Energy. - : IOP Publishing. - 2516-1083. ; 4:4, s. 042007-042007
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To meet climate targets the emissions of greenhouse gases from transport need to be reduced considerably.Electrofuels (e-fuels) produced from low-CO2 electricity, water, and carbon (or nitrogen) are potential low-climate-impact transportation fuels. The purpose of this review is to provide a technoeconomic assessment of the feasibility and potential of e-fuels for road, ocean, and air transport.The assessment is based on a review of publications discussing e-fuels for one or more transport modes. For each transport mode, (a) e-fuel options are mapped, (b) cost per transport unit (e.g. vehicle km) and carbon abatement costs are estimated and compared to conventional options, (c) prospects and challenges are highlighted, and (d) policy context is described.Carbon abatement costs for e-fuels (considering vehicle cost, fuel production and distribution cost) are estimated to be in the range 110–1250 € tonne−1 CO2 with e-gasoline and e-diesel at the high end of the range.The investigated combined biofuel and e-fuels production pathways (based on forest residues and waste) are more cost-competitive than the stand-alone e-fuel production pathways, but the global availability of sustainable biomass is limited making these pathways more constrained.While the potential for e-fuels to decarbonize the transport sector has been discussed extensively in the literature, many uncertainties in terms of production costs, vehicle costs and environmental performance remain. It is too early to rule out or strongly promote particular e-fuels for different transport modes. For e-fuels to play a significant role in transportation, their attractiveness relative to other transport options needs to be improved. Incentives will be needed for e-fuels to be cost-effective and increased clarity on how e-fuels are linked to existing policies is needed.
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| 2. |
- Brynolf, Selma, 1984, et al.
(author)
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Sustainable fuels for shipping
- 2022
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In: Sustainable Energy Systems on Ships: Novel Technologies for Low Carbon Shipping. ; , s. 403-428
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce the total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 and to phase them out as soon as possible. Decarbonized shipping represents a considerable challenge since the GHG emissions are estimated to increase by 2050 in several scenarios [1]. Decarbonization of shipping is important and urgent, but at the same time it is also important to make sure that other environmental impacts and sustainability concerns will not increase as a result. It is important to have a wide systems perspective when searching for solutions so that a sustainable shipping industry can be reached considering environmental, social, and economic dimensions and following the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This chapter starts by defining fuel, energy carriers, and primary energy sources in Section 9.2 followed by a description of the main primary energy sources that can be used to produce sustainable shipping fuels in Section 9.3 and potential energy carriers for ships in Section 9.4. Section 9.5 describes some of the pros and cons of different future fuels for shipping against technical, environmental, economic, and other criteria. Final reflections on how to choose future fuels are presented in Section 9.6.
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| 3. |
- Hansson, Julia, et al.
(author)
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Review of electrofuel feasibility - cost and environmental impact
- 2022
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In: Progress in Energy. - Stockholm : IOP Publishing. - 2516-1083. ; A:2595
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Electrofuels, fuels produced from electricity, water, and carbon or nitrogen, are of interest assubstitutes for fossil fuels in all energy and chemical sectors. This paper focuses on electrofuels for transportation, where some can be used in existing vehicle/vessel/aircraft fleets and fueling infrastructure.The aim of this study is to review publications on electrofuels and summarize costs and environmental performance. A special case, denoted as bio-electrofuels, involves hydrogen supplementing existing biomethane production (e.g. anaerobic digestion) to generate additional or different fuels. We use costs, identified in the literature, to calculate harmonized production costs for a range of electrofuels and bio-electrofuels.Results from the harmonized calculations show that bio-electrofuels generally have lower costs than electrofuels produced using captured carbon. Lowest costs are found for liquefied bio-electro-methane, bio-electro-methanol, and bio-electro-dimethyl ether. The highest cost is for electro-jet fuel. All analyzed fuels have the potential for long-term production costs in the range 90–160 € per MWh. Dominant factors impacting production costs are electrolyzer and electricity costs, the latter connected to capacity factors (CFs) and cost for hydrogen storage. Electrofuel production costs also depend on regional conditions for renewable electricity generation, which are analyzed in sensitivity analyses usingcorresponding CFs in four European regions.Results show a production cost range forelectro-methanol of 76–118 € per MWh depending on scenario and region assuming an electrolyzer CAPEX of 300–450 € per kWelec and CFs of 45%–65%. Lowest production costs are found in regions with good conditions for renewable electricity, such as Ireland and western Spain. The choice of system boundary has a large impact on the environmental assessments. The literature is not consistent regarding the environmental impact from different CO2 sources. The literature, however, points to the fact that renewable energy sources are required to achieve low global warming impact over the electrofuel life cycle.
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| 4. |
- Kanchiralla, Fayas Malik, 1989, et al.
(author)
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Life-Cycle Assessment and Costing of Fuels and Propulsion Systems in Future Fossil-Free Shipping
- 2022
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 56:17, s. 12517-12531
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Future ships need to operate with low or possibly zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while ensuring low influence on other environmental impacts and that the operation is economically feasible.This study conducts a life-cycle evaluation of potential decarbonization solutions involving selected energy carriers (electrolytic hydrogen, electro-ammonia, electro-methanol, and electricity) in different propulsion system setups (engines, fuel cells, and carbon capture technologies) in terms of environmental impact and costs.The results of the study show that the assessed decarbonization options are promising measures to reduce maritime GHG emissions with low-carbon-intensive electricity.The same order of GHG reduction is shown to be possible independent of the propulsion system and energy carrier used onboard.However, the carbon abatement cost ranges from 300 to 550 €/tCO2eq, and there is a trade-off with environmental impacts such as human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity mainly linked with the wind infrastructure used for electricity production.Electro-ammonia in fuel cells is indicated to be effective in terms of the carbon abatement cost followed by the so-called HyMethShip concept.The higher abatement cost of all options compared to current options indicates that major incentives and policy measures are required to promote the introduction of alternative fuel and propulsion systems.
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| 5. |
- Malmgren, Elin, 1992, et al.
(author)
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Navigating unchartered waters: Overcoming barriers to low-emission fuels in Swedish maritime cargo transport
- 2023
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In: Energy Research and Social Science. - 2214-6296. ; 106
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The maritime transport sector is often considered hard to abate in the context of greenhouse gas emissions, and the adoption of low-emission marine fuels is slow. Low-emission marine fuels are essential to create a sustainable maritime sector, but to accelerate the speed of adoption, we must understand what hinders their use. This paper outlines the complexity of the marine fuel choice and describes the market landscape. Taking a bottom-up perspective, we investigate the stakeholders´ perspective on low-emission marine fuels. Through thematic analysis, barriers and drivers are analyzed for adopting low-emission marine fuels in Swedish maritime cargo transport, using primary qualitative data from 17 semi-structured interviews. The results confirm previously established barriers, such as fuel price, but expand on the current discourse by incorporating qualitative dimensions. We also identified five specific business models for low-emission marine fuel use. Shipping companies trust that investments in sustainable alternatives will eventually pay off. Despite this, the adoption is slow. The themes reveal a sector that wants to transform but often lacks drivers without well-developed legislation. By directing attention to these themes and the underlying complexities, we provide valuable insight to decision-makers and policymakers on what can be done to accelerate the share of low-emission marine fuels.
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| 6. |
- Malmgren, Elin, 1992, et al.
(author)
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The environmental performance of a fossil-free ship propulsion system with onboard carbon capture – a life cycle assessment of the HyMethShip concept
- 2021
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In: Sustainable Energy & Fuels. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2398-4902. ; 5:10, s. 2753-2770
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The climate impact caused by the shipping industry has increased over the past decades despite attempts toimprove the energy efficiency of vessels and lower induced emissions. A tool in reducing climate and otherenvironmental impacts is new low emissions propulsion technologies. These new technologies need toreduce harmful emissions not only in the tailpipe but also over the entire life cycle. This study uses lifecycle assessment to investigate the life cycle environmental impact of a propulsion concept currentlyunder development: the HyMethShip concept. The HyMethShip concept combines electro-methanolenergy storage, an onboard pre-combustion carbon capture system, and a dual fuel internal combustionengine. The concept aims for an almost closed CO2 loop by installing CO2 capture onboard.The CO2 isunloaded in port and converted into electro-methanol which is used to fuel the ship again. This is madepossible by a pre-combustion process converting electro-methanol to hydrogen and CO2. Theassessment is conducted from well-to-propeller and focuses on ship operation in the North Sea in 2030.The results indicate that this technology could be an alternative to reduce the climate impact fromshipping.The results show a lower impact on acidification, climate change, marine eutrophication,particulate matter, photochemical ozone formation, and terrestrial eutrophication compared to internalcombustion engines run on either marine gas oil (0.1% sulphur content), biogenic methanol, fossilmethanol, or electro-methanol. Electricity with low climate and environmental impact is likely requiredto achieve this, and low NOx emissions from combustion processes need to be maintained. A potentialtrade-off is higher toxicity impacts from the HyMethShip concept compared to most other options, dueto metal needs in wind power plants.
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| 7. |
- Malmgren, Elin, 1992, et al.
(author)
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The HyMethShip Concept: An investigation of system design choices and vessel operation characteristics influence on life cycle performance
- 2020
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In: Proceedings of 8th Transport Research Arena TRA 2020.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One potential method to decarbonize the maritime transport sector is by using onboard carbon capture technologies. One such potential future propulsion system is the "HyMethShip - Hydrogen-Methanol Ship propulsion system using onboard pre-combustion carbon capture" concept. In this study we use life cycle assessment to analyse the impact of system design choices on the overall environmental performance of the system. Using the HyMethShip on a vessel is shown to lower climate impact compared to today’s conventional propulsion technologies. The runtime of the carbon capture system and hydrogen leakage are indicated as the main influencers to the environmental performance besides overall system efficiency. The cost of the HyMethShip system is higher than today’s liquid fossil fuel options, but lower than when electro-methanol is used in a conventional engine without applying the HyMethShip concept.
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| 8. |
- Malmgren, Elin, 1992
(author)
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Towards Sustainable Shipping: Climate change and other environmental perspectives on carbon-based marine electrofuels and onboard carbon capture
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The global, local, and regional environment is under pressure from human activity. Shipping is a human activity causing emissions to air, water, and soil, which has direct and indirect effects on the environment. New fuels and propulsion technologies are required to lower the emissions from the shipping sector and reduce the impact on the environment. Fuels produced through electricity, water, and carbon dioxide, so-called carbon-based electrofuels, are one group of fuels suggested to reduce the environmental impact of shipping. Another proposed solution is onboard carbon capture. The aim of this thesis is to promote further discussion on how to assess future marine fuels and propulsion technologies by establishing the environmental impacts of these emerging technologies. A mixed methods approach to environmental assessment is used, combining thematic analysis, literature reviews, and life cycle assessment. Through case study applications, the environmental performance of electromethanol, electromethane, and onboard carbon capture are investigated when applied in the maritime sector in northern Europe. Thematic analysis is used to investigate what is hindering low-emission fuels from being further utilized in maritime cargo transportation. The results show that if renewable energy is used in fuel production and CO2 is captured from a source not acting as a driver of fossil fuel extraction, climate change impact can be reduced by using carbon-based electrofuels instead of fossil fuel options. Potential trade-offs were identified as carbon-based electrofuels can lead to higher pressure on human health impacts than today’s conventional fuels. The extent of the trade-offs is uncertain and affected by limitations in the methodological approach. Suggestions on how to address these uncertainties are introduced and analyzed. Assessment of future scenarios for large-scale marine electromethane production in Sweden reveals that combined biofuel and electrofuel production likely results in the lowest environmental impacts. Onboard carbon capture can lower the climate change impact if combined with electrofuel production or carbon capture and storage. The environmental impacts at large depend on the bunkered fuel and the choice of carbon capture technology. The results underscore the importance of integrating life cycle assessment with other scientific methodologies. The environmental impacts of capital goods should be included in life cycle assessments of future marine fuels, and scenario-based assessments are preferable over single-vessel evaluations.
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| 9. |
- Malmgren, Elin, 1992
(author)
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Towards sustainable shipping: Evaluating the environmental impact of electrofuels
- 2021
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The global, local, and regional environment is under pressure from human activity. Changes in the environment can be beneficial and strived for, but environmental and health problems need to be considered when we design human activities. Shipping is a human activity causing emissions to air, water, and soil, which has direct and indirect effects on the environment. New fuels and propulsion technologies are required to lower the emissions from the shipping sector and reduce the impact on, for example, climate change. Fuels produced through electricity, water, and carbon dioxide, so-called electrofuels, is one group of fuels suggested to reduce the climate impact of shipping. This thesis focuses on the emissions from ships and their impacts on the environment when vessels move to electrofuels. This licentiate thesis aims to study the potential impact on the natural environment from using electrofuels onboard vessels and to explore which factors act as the main influencers on the natural environment and human health. Life cycle assessment was selected to address these questions, and through case study application the first assessment of an electrofuel in the context of shipping was performed. Through a techno-environmental system approach, critical flows between the shipping fuel life cycle and the environment were identified. The result points towards reductions of climate change impacts if renewable energy is used and CO2 is captured from a source not acting as a driver of fossil fuel extraction. Potential trade-offs were identified as electrofuels could lead to higher pressure on human health than today’s conventional fuels. The extent of these trade-offs is uncertain and affected by limitations in the method approach to the life cycle assessment of marine fuels. Suggestions on how to address these uncertainties, such as detailed system boundary definitions, are brought forward and analyzed based on the current state-of-the-art. The findings discussed in this licentiate thesis aim to promote further discussion around how to assess emerging fuel and propulsion technologies and the potential impact of future marine fuels.
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