With a May 2017 headline screaming ‘The 25 largest container ships emit as much sulphur as all cars on earth,’ the Dutch daily Financieele Dagblad reminded us that immediate action is needed. But the Paris climate accord seems to have dwindled away and there are no mandatory reductions in place for the use of heavy fuel oil. Is this an opportunity for big gas and a threat to big oil?
There are innovations enough in this field, including scrubbers and alternative fuels like LNG. However, requirements like a 25 to 30-year service life, very strict reliability and safety requirements and retrofittability mean the road to sustainable alternatives will be long and hard….a familiar dilemma for plants in the Netherlands.
Christien Nuboer – Editor-in-chief of Solids Processing
