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After a year of activity, the Glycerine Fuel for Engines and Marine Sustainability (GLEAMS) project has been completed.

The project group, comprising Marine South East Ltd, Aquafuel Research Ltd, Gardline Marine Sciences Ltd, Lloyd’s Register EMEA, Marine South East Ltd and Redwing Environmental Ltd, has gathered evidence and conducted analysis to reach the conclusion that glycerine is "a technically feasible very low emissions alternative fuel in the marine market" and "a viable, extremely clean alternative marine fuel".

Barriers to the adoption of this novel technology have been investigated and options for commercialisation defined.

GLEAMS believes that there are many initial niche markets for glycerine fuel that will value its non-toxic, clean-burning and safe characteristics and will not be hampered by the current lack of extended supply chains for the fuel. The project consortium is now exploring early marine sector applications for this fuel including: Wind Farm Support Vessels; Research and Education Vessels; Military Specialist Craft and Super Yachts.

Additionally the market for cold ironing, or shore power, is recommended as a special case where subsidies would be available in the UK.

GLEAMS says it has been particularly successful in overcoming the widely held view that glycerine is unsuitable for use as a fuel due to its physical and chemical properties (it has a negative cetane number). The project has publicly demonstrated that glycerine can be used as a fuel in compression ignition engines by displaying the GLEAMS emissions test engine running on glycerine for three days during Seawork International 2014.

Over the short to medium term the project expects the technology to be adopted, at least on a trial basis, in one or more niche markets. Once proven in these early applications, GLEAMS expects take up to grow organically.

"It is certain that as regulations governing atmospheric emissions from ships become ever tighter, glycerine fuel will meet any envisaged limits on CO2, NOx, sulphur, particulate matter and soot," GLEAMS said in a statement.

GLEAMS is a 'Vessel Efficiency Programme' project, supported by UK innovation agency InnovateUK and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).