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This common chemical could help shipping giants start… | Canary Media

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“Green” methanol is gaining favor as a lower-carbon way to power cargo ships. But we’re going to need a lot more of it for the plan to work.

Methanol is a ubiquitous chemical, used to make everything from paints and plastics to cosmetics and car parts. Increasingly, however, companies are eyeing a new purpose for the compound: a low-carbon fuel for cargo ships. Today, most ocean-crossing vessels burn petroleum products, including tar-like heavy fuel oil, in their massive diesel engines. As a result, international shipping accounts for about 3 percent of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, along with significant amounts of smog-forming and health-harming air pollutants. As shipping’s emissions rise, and as maritime…

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