Methanol innovation for port decarbonisation

The TURBO-METH project, supported through the UK Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) 6, will trial PuriFire Energy’s green methanol technology in collaboration with Shoreham Port, Newcastle University, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and others.

“Our ports are already at the forefront of maritime decarbonisation as we play a pivotal role in enabling the energy transition,” said Ralph Windeatt, ABP group head of business development.

“We are excited to support this project and look forward to working with consortium partners and our customers to evaluate our other port locations and help lay the foundations for a sustainable future.”

Assessing viability

The project aims to advance port decarbonisation by exploring on-site methanol production, large-scale bunkering logistics and end-user demand across UK ports.

As part of its remit it will assess the viability, cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits of PuriFire’s green methanol technology to confirm readiness for wider adoption as a maritime fuel.

PuriFire CEO Neel Shah said that the company’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy by providing green methanol solutions.

Its system transforms wastewater into green hydrogen and bio-methanol to decarbonise shipping and chemicals using a novel hydrothermal treatment process.

The start of ABP’s collaboration with PuriFire Energy can be traced back to the startup’s involvement in ABP’s Energy Ventures Accelerator (EVA) – a pioneering initiative launched by ABP in June 2024 to help enable the energy transition.