Japanese duo to develop NOx capture systems for ammonia engine

Hitachi Zosen and shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) will build a nitrogen oxide emission capture system for ammonia-fuelled marine engines

PHOTO: Model of an ammonia-fuelled ammonia gas carrier. Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha

Japanese machinery giant Hitachi Zosen will build a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for two-stroke marine engines, designed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) when burning ammonia as a fuel.

SCR is a process used to reduce NOx emissions from engines by converting them into harmless nitrogen and water vapour with the aid of a catalyst. Metal oxides are usually used as catalysts in this process.

While NOx has a shorter atmospheric lifetime compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), it is a more potent greenhouse gas with significant environmental impacts. Nitrous oxide, a major component of NOx emissions, has a global warming potential (GWP) approximately 264 times greater than CO2 over a 20-year period, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report. NOx released into the atmosphere contributes to the formation of smog and acid rain and affects the tropospheric ozone layer.

The SCR system will be inspected by the Japanese classification society ClassNK. NYK will then install the system on one of its upcoming ammonia-fuelled vessels that is scheduled to be delivered in November 2026.

The project will receive funding from the Japanese government’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Hitachi Zosen said.

By Konica Bhatt

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