# Decarbonizing shipping **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [September 22, 2021, 9:16am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720 "2021-09-22T09:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Jughead](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/jughead/32/4257_2.png) [@Jughead](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Jughead)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/141 "2025-10-30T22:35:57Z")
> [@ombugge](#): > > Nice to see that not ALL Aussies are of the same opinion: So you’ve found we have idiots in Australia too. No big deal. Such actions attract the condemnation of the vast majority of Australians who understand that coal producers wealth … and makes the plastic boats these twerps floated around in when they tried to blockade Newcastle last time. It seems lots of nations like to buy our coal, and disregard the fantasies of a bunch of crazy attention seekers. ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2025, 11:26pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/142 "2025-10-30T23:26:49Z")
2kg of coking coal in every 1kg of aluminium ---
**Author:** ![Jughead](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/jughead/32/4257_2.png) [@Jughead](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Jughead)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2025, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/143 "2025-10-31T10:06:14Z")
It’s good to see Bill Gates has changed his mind on catastrophic climate change. He says don’t fret about it. It won’t do anything bad. You know he said that so I don’t need to post a quote. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2025, 12:40pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/144 "2025-10-31T12:40:27Z")
> [@powerabout](#): > > 2kg of coking coal in every 1kg of aluminium Wrong!!! Here is what it takes to produce aluminium: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/b/c/bcb9b5eb430db46ff212c837db479f980fee9a32.jpeg) Source: [https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-amounts-of-raw-materials-needed-to-produce-1-kg-of-aluminum\_fig2\_262148554](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-amounts-of-raw-materials-needed-to-produce-1-kg-of-aluminum_fig2_262148554) ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2025, 12:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/145 "2025-10-31T12:51:45Z")
> [@Jughead](#): > > Bill Gates has changed his mind on catastrophic climate change. > He says don’t fret about it. It won’t do anything bad. Wrong!! What he said was: > [@](#): > > **To be clear: Climate change is a very important problem. It needs to be solved, along with other problems like malaria and malnutrition. Every tenth of a degree of heating that we prevent is hugely beneficial because a stable climate makes it easier to improve people’s lives.** Source: [https://www.gatesnotes.com/home/home-page-topic/reader/three-tough-truths-about-climate](https://www.gatesnotes.com/home/home-page-topic/reader/three-tough-truths-about-climate) I agree that it wouldn’t cause the extinction of the human species, but it is still a major problem for the way of life we are accustomed to ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2025, 11:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/146 "2025-10-31T23:51:57Z")
##### Aluminium smelting The Hall-Héroult Process is the industrial method for smelting primary aluminium, and you can read more about it [here](https://alustory.international-aluminium.org//primary-production/reduction/). The prebake anode production process requires calcined petroleum coke and liquid coal tar pitch, which, along with heat from combusted fuels, forms the baked anodes used in the reduction process. The remaining 200kg of the mass of baked anodes comes from recycled anode butts, an output of the reduction process. | Raw Material | kg per tonne of baked anode | | --- | --- | | Pet coke | ~ 650 | | Pitch | ~ 150 | Another view 800kg per tonne…. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2025, 11:28am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/147 "2025-11-01T11:28:13Z")
That refers to making the ANODES used in the aluminium production process, NOT in the ready processed aluminium itself. ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/148 "2025-11-01T12:10:18Z")
> [@powerabout](#): > > 2kg of coking coal in every 1kg of aluminium No, it is petroleum coke, an entirely different material that is a byproduct of oil refining. And very little goes into aluminum, it is used to make the anodes that provide the heat for smelting. Some tiny fraction burns off and makes CO2 but carbon is not alloyed with aluminum. Don’t use “alternate facts” to support a false narrative. > **[Understanding Carbon Anode Aluminum Production](https://jinsuncarbon.com/carbon-anode-aluminium-production/)** > > In modern aluminum industrial production, carbon anode is the core component of aluminum electrolysis process. It is not only a conductor, but also a key element involved in electrochemical reactions during electrolysis. With the continuous... ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 12:53pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/149 "2025-11-02T12:53:11Z")
Bugge says it 50% coal Whose’s alternate facts shall we pick? chatgpt Importance of Carbon Products Carbon products, including coal tar pitch and calcined petroleum coke, are significant inputs in aluminium production. The rising costs of these materials have impacted smelters globally, making carbon costs a substantial part of the overall production expenses. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/150 "2025-11-02T13:52:51Z")
> [@powerabout](#): > > Bugge says it 50% coal Are you referring to this?: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/a/c/ac42a4a267dcc355cc91d5ce45999e651a8bdead.jpeg) Maybe you should do the mat again. Oh I see, you think 0.5 kg Carbon per 1 kg Aluminium ingots = “50% Coal” in the finished product? What happened to the 4 kg. Bauxite + 1.93 kg of Aluminium Oxide used in the production of 1 kg Aluminium ingots? Besides, the “50% coal” in your calculation isn’t “coal” but “coal tar pitch and calcined petroleum coke” that is used to produce the anodes, as you pointed out in post #146. ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 1:56pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/151 "2025-11-02T13:56:08Z")
> [@ombugge](#): > > coal tar pitch so how much coal to make the coal tar pitch? ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/152 "2025-11-02T14:54:35Z")
I don’t know, but the tar is NOT made at the Aluminium smelter. It is also NOT found in the finished product. No comments on your mat problem? ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/153 "2025-11-02T14:57:29Z")
so to make the coal tar input which is 50% of the kg of aluminum its most likely 50% of finished aluminum weight uses coal. ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/154 "2025-11-02T16:08:22Z")
> [@powerabout](#): > > so how much coal to make the coal tar pitch? Ask the steel mill operators, that is where much if not most of it comes from. Going after aluminum processors, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies who use the byproduct doesn’t validate whatever cause you are attempting to promote. It just shows how lesser informed (to be polite) people can (again just to be polite) look silly . ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/155 "2025-11-02T17:12:02Z")
I give up!!! OK Aluminium is made from coal and all of it comes from Newcastle NSW 🙃 You win!!!👏 😢 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/156 "2025-11-03T00:24:21Z")
so aluminium can be made without coal? ---
**Author:** ![Binbag\_the\_Saylore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Binbag\_the\_Saylore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Binbag_the_Saylore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/157 "2025-11-07T15:58:59Z")
Not an expert myself, but I understand many big alu plants are near the cheapest Hydropower - e.g. Quebec, Norway etc. ---
**Author:** ![Binbag\_the\_Saylore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Binbag\_the\_Saylore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Binbag_the_Saylore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/158 "2025-11-07T16:04:48Z")
On the other hand, this recent (decarbonising) output from Lloyd’s… [LR0043\_Nuclear\_Guidance\_Note\_fv.pdf](https://forum.gcaptain.com/uploads/short-url/eRruKIKj4Sn3lJjV9hZeDJUDsBF.pdf) (3.7 MB) ---
**Author:** ![Hogsnort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@Hogsnort](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Hogsnort)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/159 "2025-11-07T17:03:01Z")
The aluminum smelter uses 1/7th of the hydro electricity produced in New Zealand. ---
**Author:** ![Jughead](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/jughead/32/4257_2.png) [@Jughead](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Jughead)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720/160 "2025-11-08T00:14:47Z")
In Australia, we were blessed with plenty of coal and our aluminium smelters had access to the cheapest form of electricity (particularly brown coal) and produced plenty of cheap metal. Then, the idiot communists took over and deliberately added cost pressures to drive up (tax) the price of electricity from coal and the obviously desired result is now happening. The smelters are sucking at the subsidies teat because they can’t secure the necessary long term contracts for sufficiently cheap electricity … and the idiots are copping it because jobs are lost and government revenue is lost and votes are lost. Everything climate change zealots touch turns to dross. They set out to destroy aluminium, succeeded, and now subsidise aluminium to counter the effect they originally desired. Human caused climate change is a huge, ongoing fraud. Decarbonising shipping is just one chapter of that fraud. You will see … eventually. Coal, gas and CO2 aren’t enemies or even problems. They are the solution we want. [Previous page](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720.md?page=7) [Next page](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/decarbonizing-shipping/60720.md?page=9)