SOLVAir® Marine, a solution to clean exhaust gases from ships, is the 14th Solvay product to receive the Efficient Solution Label.
SOLVAir® Marine, Solvay’s sodium-based exhaust gas treatment process for ships using Heavy Fuel Oil, has obtained the Solar Impulse Foundation’s Efficient Solution Label. The label highlights existing solutions that are both sustainable and profitable, enabling decision-makers to find efficient solutions that help them meet their environmental commitments.
“Designed to comply with current regulations, and even beyond, SOLVAir® Marine is an easy-to-operate, sustainable and future-proof solution that enables the marine industry to curb noxious emissions,” said Thomas Bauer, SOLVAir® Marine Global Project Director. “Serving as a great example of how Solvay puts our sustainability objectives into practice, it’s a solution beneficial for passengers and staff, for people working in ports and living in coastal areas, and for the environment in general.”
SOLVAir® Marine uses a sodium-based sorbent to control air emissions from ships. It is the first dry sorbent injection system for use on vessels, cleaning exhaust gases without the need for wash water. The sorbent is environmentally friendly and non-toxic, meaning that it can be easily handled without risk to the ship’s crew or passengers.
Fully compliant with International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 regulations for SOx emissions reduction, the sorbent neutralizes harmful emissions as soon as it comes into contact with exhaust gases, eliminating up to 100% of SOx emissions. In anticipation of expected regulations on particle emissions, it also removes more than 99% of the particles produced by diesel engines. The reaction products resulting from the treatment are classified as non-hazardous and can be easily and safely treated on land, ensuring that no effluents are released into the sea or air.
In 2019, the Piana, which is operated by French ferry company La Méridionale, became the first vessel to be equipped with the SOLVAir® Marine process, using the SeaSox Dual Filtration system developed and supplied by Andritz. In late 2021, following six months of real-life testing and fine-tuning, the Piana’s four main engines were fully retrofitted with a dry sorbent injection system and particle filters, ensuring that the ship’s exhaust is now almost completely free of pollutants.
SOLVAir® Marine is the 14th Solvay product to be labeled as an Efficient Solution. Other Solvay products to receive the label include solutions for batteries, semiconductor applications, thermoset composites for high-volume automotive applications, rare earth-based formulations, biostimulants for farming and wastewater adsorbents. These solutions benefit industries such as water, energy and agriculture and are representative of the goals set out in the Solvay One Planet sustainability roadmap.
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About Solvay
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 21,000 employees in 63 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.1 billion in 2021. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com