Metsä Group, in collaboration with the technology company ANDRITZ, has embarked on an innovative investigation to explore the feasibility of building a carbon capture facility connected to a bioproduct mill.
This project targets the capture of four million tonnes of carbon dioxide from a mill of the scale of the Kemi bioproduct mill, which is the largest wood-processing mill in the northern hemisphere.
The investigation aims to determine the optimal size for an energy-efficient recovery system integrated with the bioproduct mill. Key aspects of the study include assessing the cooling and logistical requirements of the system, and maximizing the use of electricity, heat, and steam produced by the mill to avoid generating waste heat.
This initiative builds on a carbon capture study initiated in 2023. The technology being considered, which involves the use of an amine solution, is a well-established method for carbon dioxide capture globally. However, its application in conjunction with a pulp or bioproduct mill represents a progressive step forward.
Following the investigation, the project is set to move into a pilot phase in 2025 at Metsä Group’s mill area in Rauma.
If successful, the carbon capture initiative could introduce a substantial new wood-based raw material for the forest industry. Metsä Group's strategy focuses on transforming northern wood into high-value products. The implementation of carbon capture would pave the way for a significant new chemical industry in Finland and bolster the Finnish hydrogen economy.
Metsä Group produces approximately 12 million tonnes of wood-based carbon dioxide annually, which has the potential to be repurposed as a substitute for fossil materials as relevant technologies and markets evolve. This captured carbon dioxide, along with renewable hydrogen, could be utilized to produce synthetic methane and methanol, which are valuable raw materials for the chemical industry.
Klaus Bärnthaler, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Carbon Capture at ANDRITZ, emphasized that this investigation marks a pioneering step towards the production of renewable fuels from wood-based carbon dioxide. The increasing demand for renewable fuels, driven by efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, can be met by leveraging the side streams from bioproduct mills.
In summary, the collaborative effort between Metsä Group and ANDRITZ to capture wood-based carbon dioxide represents a significant advancement in both environmental sustainability and the development of a renewable-based chemical industry.
