Scientists of the Białystok University of Technology (PB) are working on compact scrubbers, i.e. devices that clean the exhaust gases in a special chamber and reduce pollution emitted by large sea vessels.

From 2020, marine vessels are subject to strict regulations in the field of exhaust emissions, primarily about the emission of sulfur oxides. Their acceptable volume has decreased seven times.

Standard scrubbers are up to 3 meters in diameter and several meters high. Their assembly requires the reconstruction of the ship’s structure, which is associated with a very high investment cost – explains Prof. Dariusz Butrymowicz, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

His team last year developed a compact version of the scrubbers as part of the exhaust set for small and medium-sized vessels, including motor yachts, specialized vessels or cutters. Currently, together with the Polish shipyard Marine Projects Ltd, researchers are working on a similar solution for large maritime units with a capacity of 1 MW to approx. 20 MW.