Seabound is deploying modular carbon capture systems designed to bolt onto existing shipping vessels. The technology uses calcium looping to trap CO2 from exhaust gases, converting it into solid calcium carbonate pebbles for offloading at ports. Initial pilots with partners like Hapag-Lloyd and Lomar Shipping indicate potential capture rates of up to 95 percent. The company has now moved into commercial deployment, starting with a full scale unit on a cement carrier for Heidelberg Materials.
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The 95 percent capture rate sounds high for a retrofitted modular system. I want to see the energy penalty data. How much of the ship's power is being diverted to run the calcium looping process, and does that increase fuel burn?
That is the real question. If the fuel burn increases to power the capture, the net carbon benefit drops. The success of this depends on whether the IMO or regional regulators create a credit for the captured carbon that outweighs the extra fuel cost.
Turning gas into pebbles is a smart move for logistics. Shipping companies hate dealing with liquid CO2 tanks and specialized pressure vessels. Solid calcium carbonate is much easier to handle at a standard port.
Interesting to see a focus on the cement carrier first. Those are heavy emitters and often have the space for these kinds of bolt on modules. If they can prove it there, the scale up to general cargo is a shorter leap.
