Low-emissions fuel earns patent for Brunswick company

PHOTo / SeaChange Group LLC Scott Eaton, chief technology officer of SeaChange Group LLC, works on the company's patented Eco-Hybrid Fuel at its lab in Bucksport.

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By James McCarthy

Brunswick — SeaChange Group LLC, a startup technology company located at Brunswick Landing, has been awarded a U.S. patent on a low-emissions fuel technology using glycerol, a byproduct of the biodiesel industry.

The company also received a $225,000 development loan from the Maine Technology Institute, which was matched by a U.S. Department of Transportation award to the Maine Maritime Academy's Marine Engine Testing and Emissions Laboratory. SeaChange's Eco-Hybrid Fuel technology was developed in collaboration with MMA and METEL.

A press release announcing the patent and development loan says the two sources of funding will allow SeaChange and METEL to focus on refining and proving the technology.

“International shipping has come under stringent emissions regulations and ship operators around the world are looking for 'drop-in' fuels such as this one to reduce emissions and maintain engine power and fuel efficiency,” Richard Kimball, METEL's director and an associate professor of engineering at MMA, said in the release.

Glycerol is a lubricant with high viscosity, making it an ideal additive for use in diesel engines, according to the company's website. Under proper combustion conditions, the addition of glycerol to a fuel reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter. Sam Bishop, SeaChange's interim CEO, told Mainebiz its patented Eco-Hybrid Fuel will not require any engine modifications and will provide lower operational costs and improve emissions for marine, rail and industrial power applications.

A pilot processer under construction is intended to provide sufficient quantities of the fuel for testing in a working vessel this year. Sales to early adopters are planned for early 2015.

SeaChange was founded in 2009 to develop low-cost, low-emissions fuels for the marine shipping, rail and power generation industries.