“Ammonia … has emerged as a frontrunner to power ocean-going ships. Around 90% of all goods traded globally are transported by sea. But ships are gas guzzlers. …
“Ammonia … contains no carbon, so can burn in an engine without emitting carbon dioxide. … While it is less energy-rich than today’s marine fuels, liquid ammonia is more energy-dense than hydrogen, another zero-emission fuel. …
“‘Ammonia sits very nicely in the middle,’ says Dr Tristan Smith, an expert in low carbon shipping from University College London. ‘It’s not too expensive to store and not too expensive to produce.’
“There are challenges … the exhaust needs cleaning up. It is also toxic, so requires careful handling and storage. … Manufacturing ammonia … releases carbon …. [but] cleaner ways to make ammonia are emerging. … [S]hifting primarily to green ammonia fuel, would need more than $1 trillion of investment … [and] governments will have to help drive the transition. ‘A certain amount of emission tax will have to be in place.'”
Read story here.
Photo: A ship engine used for liquid ammonia fuel experiments being transported on a barge.