抖阴短视频

By: Mark Hillsdon

From the vast container ships crossing the world鈥檚 oceans to smaller boats buzzing around the UK鈥檚 inshore waters, all are leaving a carbon footprint in their wake that a British university is determined to reduce.

The 抖阴短视频 is bringing together expertise from inside and outside its walls 鈥� a whole-system approach 鈥� to provide real-world solutions that can cut the shipping industry鈥檚 carbon footprint.

Teams of engineers and designers are working alongside scientists and economists to find ways to decarbonise the maritime sector, driven by a commitment to net zero and a desire to make our oceans cleaner.

鈥淭here is no silver bullet when it comes to maritime decarbonisation,鈥� says Dr Richard Pemberton , a lecturer in mechanical and marine engineering design at the university. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 needed is a transdisciplinary approach, including industry-driven research, which can bring about the innovative solutions that can make shipping greener.鈥�

This approach is part of the university鈥檚 support for the government鈥檚 , which has set out to achieve a zero emissions shipping fleet by 2050. It鈥檚 a tall order given that , . 鈥淭he sector needs to diversify and change,鈥� says Pemberton. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 no one-size solution that fits everyone.鈥�

Change is certainly under way in the south-west as the university partners with businesses, supporting them with research and development. These businesses include electric charging specialists Aqua superPower, which the university has partnered with to install the UK鈥檚 first network of electric charging points for boats, creating an electric seaway along England鈥檚 south coast.

The network reflects the fact that while electricity is never likely to power a huge container ship crossing the Atlantic, it鈥檚 the perfect solution for small vessels in the UK鈥檚 harbours and inshore waters. Small ferries, vessels used by harbour masters and offshore windfarm maintenance crews, and leisure boats, are all perfect for electrification, says Aqua superPower chief executive officer Alex Bamberg.

鈥淥ur role is to get infrastructure in, knowing that the boats will follow 鈥� it will not happen the other way round, and that鈥檚 where the 抖阴短视频 has been so integral. They understand that story,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he staff we鈥檝e worked with have a fantastic mix of entrepreneurial zeal and academic knowledge 鈥� they鈥檙e passionate about decarbonisation and sustainability.鈥�

Pemberton鈥檚 students are also working on designing a floating power station that can refuel electric vessels using energy generated by its own tidal and wind turbines and solar panels. Autonomous electric vessels are in development too 鈥� including some that can operate below the surface and be used to survey potential windfarm sites, but without leaving a carbon footprint.

The university is looking beyond decarbonisation to clean up shipping, says Pemberton. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about the engine but the materials the boats are built with and what鈥檚 used to wash them,鈥� he says, with his students 鈥渉elping businesses to look at every step of what they do to see if they can have a lower impact on the environment鈥�.

This is true of its partnership with local marine coatings specialists Edwards & Renouf, and work on a new antifouling product that prevents weeds and molluscs attaching themselves to the hull of a boat. The product is free of heavy metals, which have traditionally been used in such coatings but which can pollute the seas when they wash off.

Our whole-system approach has proved crucial, says Pemberton, with engineers first assessing the reduced drag and fuel consumption that freeing up hulls can bring. The business then worked with university chemists and marine biologists to test the impact of the antifouling product on marine life. 鈥淯sually if you look in a boat yard and people are spraying antifouling, they鈥檙e dressed in a full hazmat suit. You don鈥檛 even need a pair of gloves to put this stuff on,鈥� says Pemberton.

Other researchers are also working on ways in which to use waste products to create new biofuels. In one example, lithium, recycled from spent batteries, is mixed with feedstock such as seaweed or farmyard slurry, where it acts as a catalyst, binding together carbon and hydrogen to form a new fuel.

It鈥檚 these sorts of innovative solutions that can make a real difference, he adds. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a coastal nation, and the sea matters to a lot of people. By working together with industry and local communities we can accelerate the push towards a cleaner maritime sector.鈥�

Another aspect of research at the university is how shipping will use these fuels of the future. Pemberton鈥檚 colleague Dr Stavros Karamperidis , a lecturer in maritime economics, focuses on port infrastructure, especially managing the new generation of fuels that are being promoted as a replacement for diesel, such as hydrogen and ammonia.

Ports 鈥� particularly in the UK 鈥� lack space because towns have often grown around them, says Karamperidis. 鈥淭his is an issue when it comes to storing and refuelling vessels. There are also safety considerations, as well as the capability of the local grid to cope with the electrification of cranes and other port equipment.鈥�

But alongside all the new infrastructure and technical innovation, a critical part of reducing shipping鈥檚 carbon footprint is convincing consumers that they have an important role to play. This will involve persuading them to reset their expectations that ever cheaper products can be delivered on demand 鈥� it鈥檚 simply not sustainable. Karamperidis mentions a French company that has started using sail boats to ship goods. 鈥淭he carrying capacity of those vessels is much smaller compared with container ships, so it is more expensive to move the goods. In addition it takes more time to ship the goods. Therefore the key question is if consumers are really willing to wait longer and pay more for their new phone or TV in order for them to be transported net-zero?鈥�

That question is part of the decarbonisation conundrum challenging minds globally. In the meantime, Plymouth is navigating the course to finding the solutions the shipping industry needs.