Port of L.A. teams with CSULB to develop seawater scrubber
The Port of Los Angeles is teaming up with California State University, Long Beach, to develop and test a new $1.8 million seawater scrubber that will significantly reduce emissions spewed from cargo ships, Daily Breeze reports.
Port and university researchers will spend 36 months examining the effects of a seawater scrubber that will be installed on a Horizon Lines container vessel that makes monthly calls between Los Angeles and Shanghai.
The scrubber, developed by New Jersey-based Belco Technologies Corp., is expected to lead to an 85 percent reduction in particulate matter, a 3 percent decline in smog-forming nitrogen oxides and a 50 percent drop in sulfur oxides emitted from ship exhaust fumes.
The project will be funded by the port's air quality mitigation incentive program.
"One of CSULB's missions, in addition to its primary mission of providing high-quality education, is to support community needs economically, environmentally, and in other ways," said Hamid Hefazi, a professor and chair of Cal State Long Beach's mechanical and aerospace engineering department.
"Pollution is not only a global issue, but also a significant local problem," Hefazi said. "If we as a university can help with that, I believe we have made a very significant contribution."
Shipping companies are widely examining the use of seawater scrubbers so that their ships are able to meet a new set of fuel, engine and emissions standards set by the International
Maritime Organization.
The machines use seawater to filter solid carbon contaminants from a vessel's auxiliary engines. The seawater is then treated, cleansed and discharged, while the contaminants are disposed at a later date.
Last year, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach agreed to split the cost of a separate $1.65 million seawater scrubber to treat the boiler and auxiliary engines of a cargo vessel operated by American President Lines.
A crew is currently on board the APL England to evaluate the scrubber's performance during a three-week trip from Shanghai to Los Angeles, port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said.
Researchers will determine whether the scrubber works by conducting a series of emissions tests after the ship arrives by mid-October.
"Seawater exhaust scrubbers show great long-term promise for reducing ship emissions," said Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
"It's innovative, next-generation technologies like these that will greatly contribute to better air quality and greener, cleaner port operations in the future," Knatz said. "We're glad we can be the catalyst to make that happen."
Port and university researchers will spend 36 months examining the effects of a seawater scrubber that will be installed on a Horizon Lines container vessel that makes monthly calls between Los Angeles and Shanghai.
The scrubber, developed by New Jersey-based Belco Technologies Corp., is expected to lead to an 85 percent reduction in particulate matter, a 3 percent decline in smog-forming nitrogen oxides and a 50 percent drop in sulfur oxides emitted from ship exhaust fumes.
The project will be funded by the port's air quality mitigation incentive program.
"One of CSULB's missions, in addition to its primary mission of providing high-quality education, is to support community needs economically, environmentally, and in other ways," said Hamid Hefazi, a professor and chair of Cal State Long Beach's mechanical and aerospace engineering department.
"Pollution is not only a global issue, but also a significant local problem," Hefazi said. "If we as a university can help with that, I believe we have made a very significant contribution."
Shipping companies are widely examining the use of seawater scrubbers so that their ships are able to meet a new set of fuel, engine and emissions standards set by the International
Maritime Organization.
The machines use seawater to filter solid carbon contaminants from a vessel's auxiliary engines. The seawater is then treated, cleansed and discharged, while the contaminants are disposed at a later date.
Last year, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach agreed to split the cost of a separate $1.65 million seawater scrubber to treat the boiler and auxiliary engines of a cargo vessel operated by American President Lines.
A crew is currently on board the APL England to evaluate the scrubber's performance during a three-week trip from Shanghai to Los Angeles, port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said.
Researchers will determine whether the scrubber works by conducting a series of emissions tests after the ship arrives by mid-October.
"Seawater exhaust scrubbers show great long-term promise for reducing ship emissions," said Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
"It's innovative, next-generation technologies like these that will greatly contribute to better air quality and greener, cleaner port operations in the future," Knatz said. "We're glad we can be the catalyst to make that happen."