Global: MASH Makes Biofuels Set to Be Trialled on NORDEN Vessel

July 09, 2024

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by Ian Taylor (Bunkerspot) MASH Makes has announced that its biofuel is set to be trialled on a DS NORDEN vessel in Singapore later this summer, following recent engine tests by FVTR GmbH which demonstrated that it is compatible with the ISO 8217 marine fuel standard.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn today (8 July) MASH Makes said that the engine test achieved ‘several milestones’ for a B20 very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) blend.

These included:

- The engine consistently delivered the required power, indicating stable combustion;

- There was no increase in carbon monoxide levels, suggesting that the spray pattern, mixture formation and combustion process were not negatively impacted;

- The fuel injection system operated smoothly without any clogging, polymerisation, deposit formation or wear;

- The fossil blend oil was VLSFO compliant with ISO 8217 standards, and the test covered a wide range of injection pressures (from 1000 to 1600 bar) and loads (from 0% to 100%);

- The specific fuel oil consumption did not increase compared to fossil fuel usage. In addition, even a slight decrease in exhaust temperature could be measured.

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In its LinkedIn statement today, MASH Makes added that: ‘In contrast to other cashew-based biofuels, our fuel is an entirely new product from a unique thermochemical process that uses residues left after cashew nut shell liquid (CSNL) production. This is a novel pathway for scalable biofuel production using pyrolysis and low-intensity, low-cost upgrading.’

According to MASH Makes, CSNL has ‘proven unreliable due to polymerisation effects thus causing issues for shipowners’ – whereas ‘MASH Makes fuel does not exhibit these problems and is a higher-grade product’.

Furthermore, MASH Makes said that its technology ‘can use various biomass residues, unlike CNSL production methods, allowing for greater fuel production volume’. READ MORE

Correction from MASH Makes via email: The fuel is compatible with ISO8217 compliant fuels (e.g. VLSFO), but being a new type of biofuel, it cannot itself be compliant to ISO8217 and nor can the blend. Importantly, the fuel is indeed compliant with the infamous Table 1 of ISO8217, but elsewhere in the standard, it is required that the fuel is of petroleum origin or - as added recently - HVO or FAME.

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Excerpt from MASH Makes: Recent engine trials by FVTR Rostock, a leading development service provider in thermal processes and machines, showed that our biofuel is compatible with the shipping industry’s stringent ISO 8217 fuel standard, making it a much-coveted “drop-in biofuel”.

The result? A 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to burning shipping fuel while at the same time storing additional carbon from the atmosphere in the form of biochar.

In collaboration with leading global shipping company NORDEN, our biofuel will be trialled on a live vessel in Singapore later this summer. Overall, these trials are a milestone in the transition to net zero, with biofuel poised to play a key role in decarbonising shipping and heavy industry.

The challenge of green shipping

Shipping facilitates over 80 per cent of global trade and uses more than 330 million tonnes of fossil fuel every year, accounting for over 3 per cent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually – more than all of Germany. Achieving climate goals is impossible without decarbonising this global economic lynchpin, and it has proven difficult to achieve this using the go-to technologies of the green transition.

We developed our biofuel to address this challenge and decouple the industry’s growth from carbon emissions. Produced from agricultural industry by-products – starting with the cashew value chain – it is the most sustainable option and production can be rapidly scaled to meet the vast supply shortfall. Even more, it produces biochar as a valuable by-product. Biochar sequesters carbon and enhances soil health, providing an additional environmental benefit and helping to further offset emissions from the shipping industry.

The test results

The successful engine test achieved several milestones for a B20 VLSFO blend:

Power Output and Combustion Stability

The engine consistently delivered the required power, indicating stable combustion.

Emissions

Carbon Monoxide: There was no increase in carbon monoxide levels, suggesting that the spray pattern, mixture formation and combustion process were not negatively impacted.

Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous oxide emissions were comparable to those from fossil fuels.

Fuel Injection System Performance

The fuel injection system operated smoothly without any clogging, polymerization, deposit formation or wear.

Compliance and Versatility

The fossil blend oil was VLSFO compliant with ISO 8217 standards, and the test covered a wide range of injection pressures (from 1000 to 1600 bar) and loads (from 0% to 100%).

Fuel performance

The specific fuel oil consumption did not increase compared to fossil fuel usage. In addition, even a slight decrease in exhaust temperature could be measured.

“These results confirm the quality of MASH Makes’ biofuel as a viable new sustainable fuel for shipping. We're excited to be part of this journey together with MASH Makes' and provide new sustainable fuel options that will support decarbonisation in shipping and other critical industries,” says Henrik Røjel, Head of Decarbonisation & Climate Solutions at NORDEN.

Cashew-based with big benefits

The biofuel industry has used the cashew value chain for feedstock for many years with mixed results. In contrast to other cashew-based biofuels, our fuel is an entirely new product from a unique thermochemical process that uses residues left after cashew nut shell liquid (CSNL) production. This is a novel pathway for scalable biofuel production using pyrolysis and low-intensity, low-cost upgrading.

So, while our technology can be used with various types of residues, we are starting with cashews. Here’s how our tech differs from those derived from CSNL:

Reliability and Quality: Cashew nut shell liquid (CSNL) has been tested as a fuel for over a decade but has proven unreliable due to polymerisation effects thus causing issues for shipowners. In contrast, MASH Makes fuel does not exhibit these problems and is a higher-grade product.
Versatility: Our technology can use various biomass residues, unlike CNSL production methods, allowing for greater fuel production volume.
Biochar Component: Our process produces biochar, improving soil health and agricultural outcomes, while permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere. This circular economy element is absent in standard CNSL production.
Commercial Viability: Ongoing external testing has demonstrated the commercial viability of our fuel.

While CNSL has had its challenges, MASH Makes fuel represents a new, more reliable, and versatile solution with added environmental benefits.

The technical details

Our recent land-based engine trials by FVTR Rostock concluded the following:

The nozzle shows only minimal deposits on the outside nozzle tip after operating on the B20 blend of 80m.-% VLSFO and 20m.-% of Mash POCC
No deposits or wear visible on the inner parts (needle, nozzle holes) of the fuel injector
Engine performance was stable at all tested load points of 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% engine load
Injection pressure variation was done for larger data basis
Emissions stable indicating good fuel spray, mixture formation, and combustion
Injection duration was stable and comparable to VLSFO operation
No deposit was found inside the fuel injection nozzle
No negative impact on the functionality within the tested operating time READ MORE

Excerpt from Seatrade Maritime News: The 2,500-hour biofuel trial project on four vessels in the UECC short-sea vehicle carrier fleet, will be completed by October and also involves Lloyd’s Register and Wärtsilä. The partners are testing ‘B100’ CNSL as a 30% constituent in fuel blends.

Biofuel testing compounds the NYK/Wallenius-owned company’s strategy of using alternative fuels to decarbonise. Until now these have focused on LNG.

However, combining biofuel and LNG within UECC’s fuel mix has achieved significant carbon dioxide reductions, with tank-to-wake carbon dioxide emissions slashed by 60,000 tonnes across the fleet in 2023, two-thirds of which is a result of using biofuel. The company predicts that by increasing the proportion of LNG and biofuel in its fuel mix, an annual emissions reduction of 87,346 tonnes will be possible in 2025.

Speaking to journalists last week, the company’s Energy & Sustainability Manager, Daniel Gent, commented: “We are well on the way to reach or exceed our 45% emissions reduction target by 2030. This clearly has a positive impact for those bio-supportive cargo owners in terms of reducing costs related to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).”

Gent acknowledged that several troublesome properties of CNSL, which is often used in epoxy mixes, limits the amount that can be used. The presence of what he characterised as “extremely questionable” biofuels in the market necessitated the search for an alternative, he said.

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“Using 100% cashew nut oil would be a challenge. CNSL is not generally used in our industry, and has a bad name among marine engineers. You generally wouldn’t want it in the cylinders of your engine.”

However, he explained that the company had worked together with ACT to formulate high-quality blends. He suggested that it might be possible to use greater percentages of CNSL in due course, adding that sufficient due diligence would be “incumbent” on shipping lines and customers alike, to ensure a positive environmental impact. READ MORE