Spanish consortium develops wastewater-based marine fuel
A consortium led by Spain’s Energy Research Institute of Catalonia (IREC) has developed a method to produce sustainable marine fuels using wastewater and the CO2 generated during its treatment.
IMAGE: Aerial view of the Port of Barcelona. Getty Images
The results show that the process is technically viable and can support decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping. The resulting fuel is fully compatible with conventional marine fuels and can be blended or used as a direct substitute, enabling meaningful reductions in emissions, IREC said.
The technology behind it
The process combines two technologies developed at IREC: co-electrolysis and the Fischer–Tropsch catalytic reaction. In co-electrolysis, electricity is used to convert water and carbon dioxide into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In the first step, CO2 and treated wastewater recovered from separation processes at wastewater treatment plants in the metropolitan area are converted into synthesis gas—a mixture of these two key components.
In the second step, the synthesis gas is fed into a Fischer–Tropsch reactor, where it is catalytically transformed into a synthetic hydrocarbon fuel. The resulting fuel is a zero-emission alternative that is fully equivalent to marine diesel and can be used directly in ship engines without modification, offering a pathway to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime sector.
The consortium
Other partners in the consortium include the Port of Barcelona, water utility Aigües de Barcelona, water technology company Cetaqua, and research organisation CIMNE. As part of the project, Cetaqua and Aigües de Barcelona focused on producing biohydrogen through the digestion of organic matter and sludge from the wastewater treatment plants they operate.
In parallel, CIMNE carried out economic and environmental assessments demonstrating the technology’s viability and scalability, while the Port of Barcelona analysed potential demand for these alternative fuels within the maritime transport sector.
By Tuhin Roy
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