DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF GLYCEROL-DIESEL BASED FUELS WITH A LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT FOR THE MARINE INDUSTRY

摘要

Large ships, such as oil tankers, cruise ships and container vessels, have historically had slow-speed engines designed to burn cheap, highly viscous “bunker fuels”, the bottom of the barrel from the petroleum distillation process. This fuel choice has been economically driven, because fuel costs are estimated to amount to 35-65% of the operating costs of these large ships. As these ships approach populated areas, the combustion of bunker fuels causes harmful levels of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions that can travel inland causing severe respiratory illnesses.1