Research puts green technologies under magnifying glass
07.062023 l More news
With grants from VELUX FONDEN’s environmental programme, three research projects will examine the environmental impacts of carbon storage, oil emissions from offshore wind turbines and carbon-neutral fuels from marine traffic.
Plastic waste, shipping and energy activities – the sea is under pressure from a large number of human factors.
And even though offshore wind turbines convert the forces of nature into everyday electricity and shipping replaces black fuel with green energy, there is still a long way to go before the sea can breathe a sigh of relief. Because there is still a lack of knowledge about potential environmental impacts from the new climate-friendly technologies.
Therefore, three research projects supported by VELUX FONDEN will examine the impacts on the marine environment from leakage from carbon storage, oil emissions from offshore wind turbines and carbon-neutral fuels in the shipping industry.
The UN has dedicated the decade 2021-2030 to special focus on the world’s oceans. Research and collaboration are to contribute to sustainable development of society and to supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal no. 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. VELUX FONDEN contributes to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science with grants within our three focus areas; Restoring sea and coastal areas, combating marine pollution and ensuring future climate solutions.
Charlotte Mogensen, Head of Programme for VELUX FONDEN’s environmental programme, says the following about the three projects:
“The sea is facing more and more challenges, of an increasingly complex nature, that extend beyond national borders. We’re therefore pleased to be able to support research that looks at local challenges and also addresses the broader, global perspectives through international collaborations. This can create a better knowledge base for marine management which also contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.”
Sustainable transition on a secure basisAt Aarhus University, project manager Janne Fritt-Rasmussen will use the grant to assess the potential environmental impacts of carbon-neutral fuels on the marine environment based on analyses of the chemical properties of the fuels and their combustion and degradation products.
“With this project and based on the available knowledge, we can contribute to identifying possible environmental issues connected with switching to carbon-neutral fuels in the shipping industry. In this way, we can help ensure that the green transition of the shipping industry takes place on an informed basis and without negative impacts on the marine environment,” says Janne Fritt-Rasmussen.
Subsurface CO2 storage is a promising solution to mitigate climate change. However, with CO2 storage comes a risk (albeit small) of CO2 leakage. LoCo2 is a comprehensive study of the potential journey of CO2 from storage to seabed and its eventual impact on the marine environment. The aim of LoCo2 is to ensure that CO2 storage is not only feasible but also acceptable and safe. To that end, LoCo2 includes laboratory experiments, mathematical modelling, and computer simulations of the flow and fluid properties in the storage reservoir and the layers above, considering chemical and biotic interactions throughout the whole journey. Through carefully predicting the possibility and magnitude of a CO2 leak and the consequences for the marine environment, we will be prepared with the necessary preventive measures to keep CO2 storage safe and permanent.
Operation of wind turbines may lead to uncontrolled discharge of various oils such as hydraulic fluids and lubricants to the sea. Despite this, chemical emissions from marine windfarms and effects on marine biodiversity remain to be studied. This project aims to quantify potential harmful effects of these oils and point at solutions to avoid that the windfarm industry accidentally may cause unintended adverse impacts on marine biodiversity. It is paramount to determine ecotoxicity and environmental persistency of these oils and chemical additives and to understand the stability of oil drops and their negative impact on fish. The project will generate the first knowledge needed to develop chemical regulatory practices for offshore windfarms. The developed workflows and analytical methods for testing can inform practices for additive substitution and predictive tools for environmental impact evaluation.
Denmark is to become climate neutral by 2050, which entails that fossil fuels must be replaced with carbon-neutral fuels in ship transport. While the implementation of these technologies has an obvious benefit in reducing carbon emissions to the atmosphere from the shipping industry, the possible derived environmental impacts of a switch to carbon neutral fuels have not been examined. Carbon-neutral fuels with potential use in ship transport include methanol, ethanol, biogas, biooil and ammonia, each of which has both strengths and limitations. The purpose of this project is to collect and summarise existing knowledge about carbon-neutral fuels and their environmental chemical properties and to perform a theoretical environmental risk assessment based on the existing data to identify possible unintended environmental impacts of using carbon-neutral fuels.
