Closing Carbon Cycles on the High Seas

Abstract

In this paper, a concept for energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage on board a ship is presented and techno-economically assessed. The captured CO2 can be offloaded at ports and used again for the production of synthetic hydrocarbons. During the production of these renewable PtX-fuels, large amounts of oxygen are emitted, which so far have no substantial use in future energy systems. This oxygen is cryogenized and taken on board the ship to feed a closed-cycle engine. In addition, the oxygen expansion heat sink is utilized to efficiently liquefy the captured CO2. Since this concept closes the carbon cycle, we call it Power to Cycle Engine.