Systems aspects on new energy technologies in the pulp and paper industry

Concerns about energy security, energy prices, and the impact of energy use on the global climate have put focus on ways to reduce CO2 emissions and oil dependency. In this paper we examine consequences of new energy technologies in the pulp and paper industry and estimate the costs for achieving certain CO2 emissions and oil use reductions with different pulp mill technologies. Stand-alone production of electricity and transportation fuel from biomass is included to balance the systems compared, so that they produce the same CO2 emission and oil use reductions. The technologies considered are black liquor gasification (BLG) with electricity and motor fuels production in chemical pulp mills and increased energy efficiency in mechanical pulp mills. The entire production chain from the extraction of primary resources is included in the analysis. Changes in the production chain are assumed to affect energy production on the margin. The technology alternatives are evaluated with respect to five parameters: Net CO2 emission, oil use, primary energy use, biomass use and monetary cost. We find that BLG in chemical pulp mills is favourable compared to stand-alone production of fuels and electricity from biomass. If both CO2 emission reductions and oil use reductions are to be achieved, it is more efficient to implement BLG with motor fuels production and stand-alone electricity production from biomass, than to implement BLG with electricity production and stand-alone production of motor fuels. Increased energy efficiency in refining of thermomechanical pulp is found to achieve CO2 savings more efficiently than stand-alone production of electricity from biomass.