The environmental impact of anaerobic digestion for methane generation on cruise ships

Many studies verify that fossil fuels are the main factor responsible for climate change and other environmental issues. The combustion of fossil fuels produces a major portion of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that blanket the Earth and trap the sun?s heat. The transportation sector, especially the shi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Elmallah, Mamdouh, Madariaga Domínguez, Ernesto|||0000-0002-0847-1152, González Almeida, José Agustín, Elgohary, Mohamed, Saadeldin M.A.N., Shouman, Mohamed a
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Cantabria (UC)
Repositorio:UCrea Repositorio Abierto de la Universidad de Cantabria
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:ucreareposit::1d313883fb7fa446d21df8cbb2ce24da
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10902/40395
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Anaerobic digestion
CFD
Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
IMO
Nitrogen oxides
Descripción
Sumario:Many studies verify that fossil fuels are the main factor responsible for climate change and other environmental issues. The combustion of fossil fuels produces a major portion of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that blanket the Earth and trap the sun?s heat. The transportation sector, especially the shipping industry, accounts for a large share of the world?s rising energy consumption. This study highlights the IMO regulations and the technological methods to develop environmental sustainability in seafaring. One of the primary components of shipping exhaust emissions is nitrogen oxide (NOx). To respond to increased natural demands and environmental concerns, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) established restrictions to reduce NOx emissions. Methane can be utilized as an alternative fuel in a Methane-Diesel Dual Fuel Engine to reduce noxious emissions. Generating methane by onboard anaerobic digestion provides an additional energy source for ship operations. The current study shows that organic waste generated onboard cruise ships can contribute significantly to a more efficient ship energy system through anaerobic digestion. This study also focuses on the environmental effect of using methane as an alternative fuel to reduce the NOx emissions, performed by using the commercial software ANSYS to simulate and model the combustion process.