La Méridionale Trials New Dry Scrubber for SOx, PM and NOx

French ro/pax ferry operator La Méridionale is launching a new (and possibly unprecedented) trial of exhaust gas cleaning technology aboard the vessel La Piana. It has signed a contract with Austrian manufacturer ANDRITZ to test out a combination of dry scrubber SOx and PM removal plus urea / catalyst based NOx removal - all in one unit. 

This system would enable La Méridionale to have a single, fully integrated exhaust gas cleaning system for removal of SOx, PM and NOx – a combination that would currently require three separate systems to be installed on board any vessel. ANDRITZ says that the novel combination will push the technology to its limits, but its engineers are confident that it will yield results. 

The installation will use catalytic filter bags and urea injection to remove NOx, cutting down on the amount of space and equipment required for the process. ANDRITZ expects that this combined process could be a very attractive alternative for shoreside industrial applications as well. 

La Piana already has one ANDRITZ SOx / PM dry scrubber system installed, and the operator has ordered a second to treat the emissions from three more main engines and two more auxiliary engines, covering a total propulsion load in excess of 40 megawatts. The firm says that this size range marks a new milestone for dry scrubber exhaust gas cleaning. The new filtration system will be installed in November 2021, with expected sea trials in February 2022. 

According to ANDRITZ, La Méridionale picked its dry scrubber technology because of its environmental performance and low power consumption. The ANDRITZ SeaSOx filtration technology is based on the injection of sodium based sorbent for SOx absorption. It then uses a baghouse filter installed downstream of the injection point to remove particulate matter and sodium sulfate.