Content

1. Charting a Sustainable Future for Global Shipping

   
   

2. Key progress

   
   

   2.1. Project advancement and latest achievements

   
   

3. Dissemination & Communication activities updates

   
   

   3.1. Organization of key workshop on EU funded and co-funded projects on “Maritime Biofuels” at 33rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) in Valencia

   
   

   3.2. Publication of papers in the EUBCE proceedings

   
   

   3.3. Factsheets from the M²ARE project

   
   

   3.4. Collaborations

   
   

4. Future Activities

We are excited to announce the release of the second issue of M²ARE newsletter, the Horizon Europe project focusing on renewable methanol production for the shipping industry.

1 - Charting a Sustainable Future for Global Shipping

2.1. Project advancement and latest achievements

During the latest months of the M2ARE project, the team of CERTH investigated how low-concentration impurities in bio-CO2 streams can affect methanol synthesis catalysts. By developing accelerated poisoning protocols, they were able to simulate long-term catalyst degradation using various sulphur, nitrogen, and metal compounds in a much shorter period, and these poisoned catalysts are currently being characterized and tested to understand the impact on their properties and overall performance under reaction conditions.  

These studies will provide fundamental insight on how these impurities interact with the active components of the methanol synthesis catalyst and influence its ability to efficiently convert bio-CO2 to green methanol over time. They will also allow to identify those impurities that have a detrimental impact on catalytic performance and stability, and guide the design of an efficient and cost-effective gas cleaning procedure.  

Concerning the aspects related to the shipping engine tests, Everllence is working on the supply lines for methanol which are currently being installed for the test benches, and the latter are being prepared accordingly. At the beginning of next year, the single cylinder engine will be started, different methanol qualities will be examined, and the injection test bench will begin its trials during the course of 2026.

The steady-state model has been validated and used to explore different recycle ratios, H2/CO2 ratios and bumber of reactors. The CFD studies revealed key differences in catalytic bed porosity, which have been investigated further through bed filling analyses focused on plate geometry influence. Additionally, pressure drop studies were conducted on a prototype plate reactor to gather essential scale-up data.

A hierarchical optimization concept was proposed and under development by SSSA for allowing the optimization of the overall maritime methanol value chain from different point of views and time horizons and including TEA and LCA:

• Level 1 focuses logistic and transportation optimization on a long-term time horizon;

• Level 2 is a planning optimization on a medium-term time horizon;

• Level 3 is a real-time optimization on a short-term time horizon.

Based on this optimization concept, different models are under development with different levels of details and exploiting different methods (also machine learning-based) for considering all the units/aspects involved in the value chain from different points of view.

Concerning the dynamic model of the process, it should be completed and integrated to TEA and control studies. The pilot mock-up will be finished and pressure drop studies will be contucted.

3 - Dissemination & Communication activities updates

3.1. Organization of key workshop on EU funded and co-funded projects on “Maritime Biofuels” at 33rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) in Valencia

The event highlighted the urgency of reducing the sector's 3 - 4% of EU emissions, and this joint collaboration is fundamental to accelerate the path to sustainable marine fuels. Read the full dedicated press-release by clicking the below button.

Figure 1, 2, 3 & 4:  Pictures from the joint workshop

3.2. Publication of papers in the EUBCE proceedings

3.3. Factsheets from the M²ARE project

3.4. Collaborations

EU projects leading the maritime shipping fuels’ sector:

Establishing a secure and long-term collaboration