MOL-led consortium to study e-fuel and carbon capture supply chain

Japanese shipping line Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)-led consortium will conduct a feasibility study on e-fuel and carbon capture supply chain.

PHOTO: Conceptual diagram of e-fuel production and supply chain. MOL

The feasibility study will entail carbon dioxide (CO2) capture in Japan, shipping the captured CO2 to Australia, producing and storing the e-fuel derived from the CO2 in Australia and then exporting it back from Australia.

E-fuel refers to synthetic fuels produced using renewable electricity, typically through processes like electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, or via carbon capture and utilization technologies that combine CO2 with hydrogen derived from renewable sources.

The CO2 feedstock will come from industries that face difficulty in achieving decarbonisation, MOL says.

Other members of the project include Japanese corporation Itochu, US-based e-fuel company HIF and Japanese steel manufacturer JFE Steel.

The project will commence with carbon capture at JFE steel plants.

MOL has established several partnerships with key players to develop the carbon dioxide, capture and storage (CCS) value chain. In November, MOL collaborated with electric power generation company Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) to conduct a feasibility study on the design of a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier at shipyards in Japan and overseas.

In October, MOL and petrochemical company Cosmo Oil collaborated to research and evaluate marine transportation for the development of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) value chain.

By Tuhin Roy

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