Waste-Based Fuels Could Cut Shipping Emissions Without Replacing Engines Artwork

Climate Confident - Practical Climate Solutions That Cut Emissions

Climate Confident is for business leaders, climate professionals and policymakers who need to understand what is actually cutting emissions—and what it takes to make those solutions work at scale.

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Climate Confident - Practical Climate Solutions That Cut Emissions

Waste-Based Fuels Could Cut Shipping Emissions Without Replacing Engines

December 17, 2025 • Tom Raftery • Season 1 • Episode 251

0:00 | 38:04

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What if the fastest way to decarbonise shipping isn’t a shiny new fuel, but the waste it’s already throwing away?

Shipping moves 90% of global trade, yet it’s still one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. In this episode, I’m joined by Nicholas Ball, CEO and founder of XFuel, to unpack why cost, physics, and adoption matter more than climate theatre when cutting emissions at scale.

Nicholas leads a company turning difficult waste streams, including oily residues from ships themselves, into fully compliant drop-in fuels for shipping and aviation. These fuels work in existing engines, use existing infrastructure, and can deliver up to 85% lifecycle emissions reductions without charging shipowners three to five times more than fossil fuels. That last point matters. A lot.

We dig into why shipping is so price-sensitive, why infrastructure uncertainty is paralysing fuel decisions, and why waiting for perfect solutions risks locking in higher emissions for decades. You’ll hear why XFuel focuses on waste-based and recycled carbon fuels, how lifecycle emissions are verified under EU rules, and why “drop-in” isn’t a marketing term, it’s the difference between pilots and adoption.

We also tackle hydrogen head-on. Why it’s massively inefficient as a fuel. Why scarce renewable electricity should be used to decarbonise grids and industry first. And why electrification should happen everywhere it can, with fuels reserved for sectors that genuinely have no alternative.

If you care about climate tech that actually scales, real-world decarbonisation, and cutting emissions in sectors that don’t have easy answers, this conversation matters.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Nicholas Ball and XFuel are pushing practical climate solutions into one of the toughest corners of the energy transition.

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