SO₂ is among the major atmospheric pollutants, and the marine sector is an essential SO₂ emission contributor. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is banning oversea going vessels (OGV) from consuming fuels with sulphur content (FSC) over 0.50% to promote the air quality in coastal areas. Our team has developed a microsensor system (MSS) to measure FSCs at high efficiency and at a low cost. In this study, calibrations and experiments are carried out to verify the performance of the MSS and the calculation process of FSC. An integral method is the recommended way to calculate FSCs, introducing a linear correction coefficient of 1.657 with an error of 51.1%. After the verification, the MSS is applied to measure FSCs for OGVs in Hong Kong water. One hundred twenty-two ships are t...[ Read more ]

SO₂ is among the major atmospheric pollutants, and the marine sector is an essential SO₂ emission contributor. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is banning oversea going vessels (OGV) from consuming fuels with sulphur content (FSC) over 0.50% to promote the air quality in coastal areas. Our team has developed a microsensor system (MSS) to measure FSCs at high efficiency and at a low cost. In this study, calibrations and experiments are carried out to verify the performance of the MSS and the calculation process of FSC. An integral method is the recommended way to calculate FSCs, introducing a linear correction coefficient of 1.657 with an error of 51.1%. After the verification, the MSS is applied to measure FSCs for OGVs in Hong Kong water. One hundred twenty-two ships are tested, with 102 having valid results. The average OGV FSC in Hong Kong water is 0.15±0.07%.