The PLA is currently conducting a review of scrubber technology and its use on the Thames. Scrubbers are pollution control devices which remove can remove up to 98% of sulphur emissions from a vessel engine. Whilst less useful for inland vessels where fuel regulations are more strict, they are listed as an acceptable alternative to using low-sulphur fuel oil for sea-faring vessels.

Scrubbers work by utilising the solubility of sulphur in water, by using washwater to effectively absorb the sulphur constitute of the exhaust gas before it is released. It has also been shown to remove particulate matter to a lesser extent as particles are entrained in the washwater as well. However, the washwater then becomes more acidic and rich in other harmful chemicals such as PAHs. If this washwater is then released into the river, as is the case with open-loop scrubbers, it then has the potential to harm the water and sediment quality. This is less well understood however, so the PLA is conducting a review of scrubber use by sea-faring vessels in the Thames, and whether this is having a detrimental effect that we should be concerned about.

Highlights of the review will be published soon!

Photo Credit Van Oord

Leave a Reply