Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships
The impact of black carbon (BC) emissions on climate change, human health, and the environment is well-documented in the scientific literature. Although BC still remains largely unregulated at the international level, efforts have been made to reduce emissions of BC and Particulate Matter (PM<sub...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/7/840 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849246380547112960 |
|---|---|
| author | Ward Van Roy Jean-Baptiste Merveille Kobe Scheldeman Annelore Van Nieuwenhove Ronny Schallier |
| author_facet | Ward Van Roy Jean-Baptiste Merveille Kobe Scheldeman Annelore Van Nieuwenhove Ronny Schallier |
| author_sort | Ward Van Roy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The impact of black carbon (BC) emissions on climate change, human health, and the environment is well-documented in the scientific literature. Although BC still remains largely unregulated at the international level, efforts have been made to reduce emissions of BC and Particulate Matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>), particularly in sectors such as energy production, industry, and road transport. In contrast, the maritime shipping industry has made limited progress in reducing BC emissions from ships, mainly due to the absence of stringent BC emission regulations. While the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has established emission limits for pollutants such as SO<sub>x</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub>, and VOCs under MARPOL Annex VI, as of today, BC emissions from ships are still unregulated at the international level. Whereas it was anticipated that PM<sub>2.5</sub> and BC emissions would be reduced with the adoption of the SO<sub>x</sub> regulations, especially within the sulfur emission control areas (SECA), this study reveals that BC emissions are only partially affected by the current MARPOL Annex VI regulations. Based on 886 real-world black carbon (BC) emission measurements from ships operating in the southern North Sea, the study demonstrates that SECA-compliant fuels do contribute to a notable decrease in BC emissions. However, it is important to note that the average BC emission factors (EFs) within the SECA remain comparable in magnitude to those reported for non-compliant fuels in earlier studies. Moreover, ships using exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs) as a SECA-compliant measure were found to emit significantly higher levels of BC, raising concerns about the environmental sustainability of EGCSs as an emissions mitigation strategy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0b5c5b2a837441b0a4a3ef2197becdcc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-0b5c5b2a837441b0a4a3ef2197becdcc2025-08-20T03:58:31ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-07-0116784010.3390/atmos16070840Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from ShipsWard Van Roy0Jean-Baptiste Merveille1Kobe Scheldeman2Annelore Van Nieuwenhove3Ronny Schallier4Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, BelgiumThe impact of black carbon (BC) emissions on climate change, human health, and the environment is well-documented in the scientific literature. Although BC still remains largely unregulated at the international level, efforts have been made to reduce emissions of BC and Particulate Matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>), particularly in sectors such as energy production, industry, and road transport. In contrast, the maritime shipping industry has made limited progress in reducing BC emissions from ships, mainly due to the absence of stringent BC emission regulations. While the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has established emission limits for pollutants such as SO<sub>x</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub>, and VOCs under MARPOL Annex VI, as of today, BC emissions from ships are still unregulated at the international level. Whereas it was anticipated that PM<sub>2.5</sub> and BC emissions would be reduced with the adoption of the SO<sub>x</sub> regulations, especially within the sulfur emission control areas (SECA), this study reveals that BC emissions are only partially affected by the current MARPOL Annex VI regulations. Based on 886 real-world black carbon (BC) emission measurements from ships operating in the southern North Sea, the study demonstrates that SECA-compliant fuels do contribute to a notable decrease in BC emissions. However, it is important to note that the average BC emission factors (EFs) within the SECA remain comparable in magnitude to those reported for non-compliant fuels in earlier studies. Moreover, ships using exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs) as a SECA-compliant measure were found to emit significantly higher levels of BC, raising concerns about the environmental sustainability of EGCSs as an emissions mitigation strategy.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/7/840MARPOL Annex VIship emissionsremote ship emission monitoringblack carbonemission control areasair quality measurements |
| spellingShingle | Ward Van Roy Jean-Baptiste Merveille Kobe Scheldeman Annelore Van Nieuwenhove Ronny Schallier Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships Atmosphere MARPOL Annex VI ship emissions remote ship emission monitoring black carbon emission control areas air quality measurements |
| title | Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships |
| title_full | Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships |
| title_fullStr | Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships |
| title_full_unstemmed | Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships |
| title_short | Airborne Measurements of Real-World Black Carbon Emissions from Ships |
| title_sort | airborne measurements of real world black carbon emissions from ships |
| topic | MARPOL Annex VI ship emissions remote ship emission monitoring black carbon emission control areas air quality measurements |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/7/840 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wardvanroy airbornemeasurementsofrealworldblackcarbonemissionsfromships AT jeanbaptistemerveille airbornemeasurementsofrealworldblackcarbonemissionsfromships AT kobescheldeman airbornemeasurementsofrealworldblackcarbonemissionsfromships AT annelorevannieuwenhove airbornemeasurementsofrealworldblackcarbonemissionsfromships AT ronnyschallier airbornemeasurementsofrealworldblackcarbonemissionsfromships |