New sustainability challenge - Methanol fuel cells

Since a couple of years, the superyacht industry has been severely attacked due to the number of polluting emissions generated by private vessels. In the way to a greener future, some of the big shipyards such us Lürssen, and Feadship have begun a great work of research and innovation to replace the current propulsion systems of the superyachts with cleaner and more efficient ones. 

In Evolution, we believe in a zero-emission world, and because of that, we have been and currently are closely following up the development of this new ways of propulsion even if there is still a few information available about it.

But first of all, you will wonder… what are exactly this methanol fuel cells that you have been listening about recently?

What is a Methanol fuel cell?

Methanol fuel cells are a proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells that utilize methanol to produce hydrogen as their fuel. These type of power systems avoid noxious emissions such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and soot. They are virtually noise and vibration free and guarantee long-term reliability and enhanced performance. When combined with batteries, complete energy systems can be realized in a CO2 neutral way.

How do fuel cells work?

A single fuel cell consists of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) covered by a catalytic surface. On its anode side, the protons of the hydrogen atoms can cross the membrane. The electrons belonging to these protons are carried by an external electrical connection on the cathode side where they combine with the oxygen to form water. Many of these fuel cell slides are assembled to a multi-cell stack to form the core of the power generating system.

This electrical energy produced by this process, can be used for drive systems or hotel operations, while the heat that it generates, can be used for central or pool heating.

Apart from that, thanks to their modular construction, they can be adjusted to customized yachts, so they keep space requirements and costs as low as possible while the efficiency of the system is high.

Why use methanol and not other chemicals such as hydrogen?

Storing the amount of hydrogen that would be required for this purpose in pure form, won’t be practical due to the huge space needed for both cryogenics and pressure tanks on board a vessel. However, hydrogen can be transformed into methanol by the chemically bonding it to carbon dioxide. Methanol can be stored in structural tanks in the double bottom of a yacht. Another advantage of the Methanol is that is completely biodegradable, so in case of an accidental leak into the sea or the ocean, there wouldn’t be a major harm to the ecosystem.

Even if Methanol is already available worldwide as a basic material for the chemicals industry, the idea would be to use the methanol obtained from renewable energies or recycled carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere. This way a climate-neutral closed CO2 cycle would be created.

Check a short video about the matter, courtesy of Lürssen.