Certified SOx scrubber
Marine engine manufacturer Wärtsilä has launched a closed-loop fresh water scrubber to which sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is added in order to neutralise sulphur oxides (SOx). If operation in zero discharge mode is requested, the effluent can be led to a holding tank for scheduled and periodic discharge. The Wärtsilä SOx scrubber has been granted the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) Compliance Certificate. Measurements have demonstrated a sulphur dioxide removal efficiency exceeding 99 per cent. The reductions in particulate matter and nitrogen oxides were 30–60 per cent and 3–7 per cent, respectively.
Source: Press release from Wärtsilä, 10 September 2009.