“The Ocean Cleanup” intends to use garbage catchers to remove plastic from rivers
ETH researchers produce fuel from sunlight and air

SHORT NEWS

Are electrically driven ships viable?

#co2 emissions #electric propulsion #electric ships #hydrogen

Maritime transport accounts for a significant portion of global CO₂ emissions. Commissioned by a shipping company, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) investigated how this could be changed. They see considerable potential in electric propulsion systems and in hydrogen and ammonia-based fuels.

A big electric ship on the ocean

3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions are attributable to maritime shipping, in particular to large freighters and international merchant ships. According to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, an ETH team led by Petrissa Eckle has been commissioned by a shipping company to evaluate the best ways of powering ships without emissions.

The report, which is based on external studies and interviews with experts, focuses on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. However, the prerequisite for the technologies to be investigated in the report was that they must be scalable to international shipping. In addition, the ships’ propulsion systems should not emit any CO₂ whatsoever.

Electric propulsion for short distances

Over the medium term, the researchers see the greatest potential for zero-emission maritime transport in electric drives, fuel cells, and in combustion engines fueled by ammonia. According to the ETH report, the factors defining which solution is most suitable are the type of ship and the distance that has to be covered.

According to Petrissa Eckle, electrically powered ships, such as those already in use in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea region, are viable for short distances. The situation becomes more difficult for long shipping routes. According to the researchers, ammonia would be feasible, but since it is toxic, it has not yet been approved as a fuel. Fuel cells powered by hydrogen would also be suitable, but this option also entails obstacles: Currently, there are insufficient liquefaction and transport capacities, the ETH report states.

The next important step would be to carry out pilot projects to test zero-emission ships and clarify open questions, Petrissa Eckle emphasizes.

Written by: sda

Photos: keystone

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a city covered in fog

Drinking water from fog: researchers capture clean water from polluted air

A specially coated metal mesh can extract water from fog and remove environmental pollutants at the same time. With the technology developed in Zurich, drinking water can be extracted from the air even in regions with heavy air pollution.
September 11th, 2023
Carlos Sanchez

A smart path into a sustainable future

Sustainability is no longer a distant dream but a present and pressing reality. Climate change and environmental degradation are forcing companies to take action. They must innovate and implement smart sustainability solutions, says Carlos Sanchez, a renowned sustainability visionary who shared with us the latest sustainability trends that can help build robust, resilient, and sustainable businesses.
September 28th, 2023
Mechanics performing maintenance work on an aircraft

Researchers make non-recyclable plastic recyclable

Swiss researchers have developed a new type of recyclable plastic that could be used in aircraft, cars or wind turbines in the future.
October 2nd, 2023
Recycled asphalt was used on the Lucmanier Pass

More recycled asphalt on Swiss roads

Tests with recycled asphalt on Swiss roads show promising results. In Uster ZH and on the Lukmanier Pass GR, the proportion of recycled asphalt could be increased without any loss of performance, according to Empa.
October 16th, 2023
a photovoltaic system on a house facade

Sun soon to be the most important source of energy

The sun is likely to become the world's most important source of energy before 2050, according to British scientists. This is the result of an analysis of technological and economic data by the University of Exeter and University College London.
November 27th, 2023
A hospital room with two beds divided by a curtain

Germicidal textiles for hospitals

A new process developed by Swiss researchers makes textiles germicidal. In future, this could be used to coat curtains in hospitals.
December 25th, 2023
G.V. Shivashankar arbeitet am PSI und der ETH Zürich

Fountain of youth for cells

Reprogrammed cells allow wounds in older people to heal faster. This could, for example, help burn victims.
January 1st, 2024
A scientist taking a water sample with a bottle

Gentle identification of fish species through their DNA

Identifying fish species in a river using DNA traces: This method was tested in Switzerland. It proved to be simpler and more reliable than the electrofishing method used to date.
January 15th, 2024
pressed plastic bottles

Microplastics fly particularly far and high

Microplastic fibres fly higher and further than previously assumed - even as far as the Arctic.
January 22nd, 2024
A futuristic aircraft with a blended wing body

Aircraft of the future make less noise

In an Empa research project, study participants rated the noise of new types of aircraft as less annoying than the noise of today's aircraft.
April 9th, 2024
the airship flying over a coast

British company produces climate-friendly airship

According to its developers, the British airship Airlander 10 could take off for commercial flights with passengers from 2028.
April 22nd, 2024