By cleaning the air, ships are dirtying the water

Fuel TechHigh Tech / High Touch
Written By Jennifer Joslyn

🚢 Scrubbers, a system put in place to clean the exhaust gasses from container ships and reduce pollutants that are put into the air, are doing little to help clear up pollution of the water.

The International Maritime Organization has made public its efforts to reduce pollution from the sea-shipping sulfur output but has made a tradeoff in order to save money. Scrubbers are a cheap option to clean the air around the ship but pour that dirty air straight into the water around them instead. The environmental implications of the air-cleaning method are making industry experts concerned, with over 4,300 ships globally using this technology as of 2020. Due to this technology, approximately 10 gigatons of polluted water are disposed of into the ocean every year.

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Jennifer Joslyn
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