The aim of this work is feasibility study on the sustainable reduction of CO2 emissions as well as particle and NO2 emissions by using LNG (liquefied methane and bio methane) for the Danube inland navigation. The study serves as preliminary planning for an experimental development project for a retrofit solution, contributing to short-and medium-term achievement of the Austrian climate targets. The transportation by barge in comparison to other kinds of transport shows considerably specific lower energy requirements. Additional benefits are shown concerning the noise impact of residents near traffic roads as well as a discharge of the road system. However, CO2 emissions resulted of diesel combustion could be reduced significantly by using low-carbon fuels such as methane and bio methane once again. Due to the high age of marine propulsion systems up to 30 years, these ones show nowadays unusual high local emissions of particulate matters (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOX). For this reason a trend towards climate and environmentally friendly drive systems applied the inland waterway transportation sector can be simply recognized conditionally. In 2005 uniform emission standards for all member states of the EU regarding new barges were introduced. The specific emission limits contained therein do not conform to the standard, which is applied to comparable categories of engines for other modes. By use of "clean fuels", a sustainable reduction of climate-altering emissions as well as local emissions directly harmful to humans and the nature could be achieved especially in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Austrian Danube valley.

Outgoing