Starting in 2020, the global requirements on sulphur oxide emissions will become stricter. Heavy fuel oil in particular impacts the atmosphere and oceans through sulphur oxide exhaust emissions. According to the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, this oil is the primary fuel used by the roughly 50,000 cargo ships that make up the global merchant fleet. However the use of this fuel results in both ocean pollution and respiratory illnesses. An amendment to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention) that went into effect on 1 January 2020 establishes a global limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships of 0.50% m/m (mass by mass), down from an earlier 3.5%. As a comparison: diesel-based automotive fuels may only contain 0.0001% sulphur.
To determine whether this has actually resulted in fewer toxic emissions, Wi.Tec-Sensorik GmbH, a company based in Wesel, Germany, has developed a gas measurement device with financial and technical support from the DBU. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wiegleb, Managing Partner of Wi.Tec-Sensorik GmbH: “We have developed a measuring system that is much better suited to meeting the demands of international cargo ships than conventional measuring devices.” The gas photometer can simultaneously detect trace amounts of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and carbon dioxide in the exhaust of ship engines that run on diesel fuel. Moreover, the device can also be used in the field of environmental metrology, for example for the exhaust analysis of motor vehicles and small- and medium-sized combustion plants.
