ANDRITZ and SOLVAY have developed a Bicar® dry exhaust gas cleaning system certified to comply with IMO 2020 regulations

These achievements and certifications are crucial milestones for the future of this technology and confirm the know-how of ANDRITZ and SOLVAY in exhaust gas cleaning systems. It will allow the shipping vessels to continue to use high-sulphur heavy fuel oils while drastically reducing their sulfur and fine particles emissions, which will improve the quality of the air very significantly, with a positive impact on human health.

The Bicar® dry exhaust gas cleaning system was installed on the RoPAx ferry “Piana” operated by the French ferry company La Méridionale and has been operating successfully since being commissioned in April 2019. The initial results are very promising.

The innovative technology uses the SOLVAir® process principles developed by SOLVAY teams, using Bicar® as the sorbent for sulfur dioxide removal, and a pulse jet fabric filter for removal of the sulphates and particulates forming. SOLVAir® was recently labeled an Efficient Solution by the SOLAR IMPULSE FOUNDATION as it protects the environment in a profitable way.

ANDRITZ was responsible for design and engineering of the system, delivery of the main equipment, and commissioning, while installation work and operation of the system were the responsibility of La Méridionale. Unlike other exhaust gas cleaning systems installed on maritime vessels, no seawater is used and no wastewater is discharged into the sea.

Compliance of this technology and system with regulations that will be enforced as early as January 1, 2020 was confirmed by the Ship Acceptance Test and the MED-G certification awarded for the system by the classification society DNVGL. The certificate verifies conformity of the system with the (EU) 2018/773, item MED/2.10 regulations as well as with MARPOL 73/78. Furthermore, an independent third party (CERTAM) assessed the effectiveness of the Bicar® dry exhaust gas cleaning system.

The results are impressive and show that the required SO₂ removal to lowest values (more than 96% of SOx removed) was achieved easily. In addition, the ability of the system to remove more than 99% of particulates and ultra-fine particulates was confirmed. These figures are remarkable and demonstrate the effectiveness of the system.

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ANDRITZ GROUP
ANDRITZ is an international technology group providing plants, systems, equipment, and services for various industries. The company is one of the technology and global market leaders in the hydropower business, the pulp and paper industry, the metal working and steel industries, and in solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial segments. Other important fields of business are animal feed and biomass pelleting, as well as automation, where ANDRITZ offers a wide range of innovative products and services in the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) sector under the brand name of Metris. In addition, the company is active in power generation (steam boiler plants, biomass power plants, recovery boilers, and gasification plants) and environmental technology (flue gas and exhaust gas cleaning plants) and offers equipment for the production of nonwovens, dissolving pulp, and panelboard, as well as recycling plants.

ANDRITZ stands for passion, partnership, perspectives and versatility – core values to which the company is committed. The listed Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria. With almost 170 years of experience, approximately 29,600 employees, and more than 280 locations in over 40 countries worldwide, ANDRITZ is a reliable and competent partner and helps its customers to achieve their corporate and sustainability goals.

SOLVAY
Solvay is an advanced materials and specialty chemicals company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key social challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers worldwide in many diverse end-markets. Its products are used in planes, cars, batteries, smart and medical devices, as well as in mineral and oil and gas extraction, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. Its lightweight materials promote cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources, and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 24,500 employees in 61 countries. Net sales were €10.3 billion in 2018, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top three, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 22%. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR), and in the United States its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a level-1 ADR program.

Note: figures take the planned divestment of Polyamides into account.

Solvay Soda Ash and Derivatives (SA&D) is a world leader in its sector, producing soda ash serving the glass, detergent and chemical markets and developing solutions based on sodium bicarbonate and trona to serve the health care, food, animal feed, and flue gas cleaning markets. SA&D has 11 industrial sites worldwide with more than 3,200 employees and serves 90 countries.

LA MERIDIONALE
La Méridionale has provided sea links between Corsica and Marseille since 1937. Today, its fleet of three mixed vessels (Piana, Girolata and Kalliste) serves the ports of Ajaccio, Bastia and Propriano daily within the framework of a Delegation of Public Service agreed with the Corsican public authority. Certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, the company meets the requirements for the management of quality and the continuous improvement of environmental performance. It obtained the Charte Bleue trophy in 2013 and 2018 in recognition of its actions in favor of the environment. It is the only Mediterranean maritime company to hook up its vessels to quayside electricity during stopovers. In 2018, La Méridionale transported 278,200 passengers and 850 km of rolling freight. It is the maritime subsidiary of the STEF Group, the European leader for temperature-controlled logistics.

https://www.lameridionale.fr/