According to Bloomberg, Long Beach-based startup STAX Engineering has installed its pollutant-capturing technology in the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland.
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach reportedly emit about “100 tons of smog” every day. That's more pollution than the exhaust of six million cars, according to data from the Environmental Energy Institute cited by Bloomberg. Air pollution can cause serious health problems, especially in communities around ports. The toxic gases can cause millions of deaths a year and lead to billions of dollars in lost work and medical care, the news agency noted.
To mitigate this, the California Air Resources Board has enacted regulations for vessels in the port.
Pollution while at anchor must be reduced by 80 percent. One way ships can do this is by plugging into power with an extension cord (rather than running their engines to generate electricity), but upgrading ships with plug-in equipment is costly — not necessarily ideal, since some ships only dock in California occasionally, others only once.
That's where STAX Engineering's pollution capture technology comes in. The technology, which Bloomberg likens to a “range hood,” filters the ship's exhaust gases and releases water vapor and carbon dioxide. It reportedly removes 95% of nitrogen oxides and 99% of diesel particulate matter. It also runs on renewable diesel fuel. The company aims to upgrade the system so it can filter carbon dioxide as well.
Ships could pay an hourly fee to use the technology.
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Recovery systems and shore power are a good option to help ships meet the new regulations, but they are a stopgap solution until the industry transitions to cleaner alternative energy sources such as methanol and ammonia.
The technicians were servicing 44 ships as of February, with the capacity to service 146 ships per year, according to Bloomberg.
It will take some time for shore power to become available while the vessel is being upgraded, but CEO Mike Walker says the system will fill that gap.
“What we have now is a network of distributed capture vehicles that pre-treat the NOx (nitrogen oxides) and PM (particulate matter) on every vessel, creating a carbon solution,” he told Bloomberg.
Air pollution from vehicle exhaust is alarmingly high. More than 120 million Americans live in counties with unhealthy ozone and particulate air pollution levels, with Los Angeles listed as having one of the worst levels of pollution, according to an April 2023 report. But by better understanding key climate issues, researchers can identify the worst problems and how to solve them, empowering individuals to make healthier choices.
According to Bloomberg, STAX Engineering currently has only two systems installed, but plans to have 20 systems up and running by 2025, serving the entire state.
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