would start in 2029 at the earliest. To avoid delivery disrup- tions, the demo plant would continue operating until then.
From emissions to raw material
Plasticiser market is growing
Existing concrete plasticisers are mainly synthetic products. Even though the proportion of plasticiser in concrete mass is less than one per cent, the global demand for plasticisers amounts to millions of tonnes per year. Demand is expected to increase, particularly in developing countries. “We believe that our new lignin product has potential. We are also aware of the fact that it is a new product that needs trialling. With the demo plant, we can offer test batches that help us assess the market’s interest in the product,” says Suurnäkki. •
In the process, the demo plant will use bioenergy and other commodities produced by the adjacent bioproduct mill. The fractions left over from the separation of lignin are returned to the bioproduct mill’s chemical cycle.
Carbon dioxide from the forest industry could be utilised as a raw material for renewable energy. Metsä Group is currently examining the possibility of building a carbon capture facility in connection with one of its bioproduct mills.
Collaboration creates a new value chain
The decision to construct the demo plant was preceded by many years of research collaboration. The refining process began with an innovation by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and was developed in a co-financed EU project that included Metsä Fibre, ANDRITZ and Dow. The project enabled the research work to proceed from the laboratory to the pilot phase. The project was able to show that modified lignin can be used to replace fossil-based chemicals in concrete production. After the project ended, collaboration has continued in both process development and product development. “This is exactly how collaboration projects should work. They create a good value chain to continue corporate collaboration,” says Suurnäkki.
Text: Maria Latokartano Photos: Metsä Fibre
WHAT IS LIGNIN?
Carbon dioxide from human activity is often seen as a harmful greenhouse gas emission, but it can also be a useful raw material. “Wood-based carbon dioxide generated by the forest industry is a significant side stream that could be utilised better,” says Pirita Mikkanen , VP, Energy at Metsä Group. Wood-based carbon dioxide could replace industrial fos- sil carbon dioxide or be used to balance the production and consumption of energy as the use of wind and solar pow- er increases. During production peaks, excess energy and captured carbon dioxide could be utilised in the production of synthetic fuels. Carbon capture could also help combat climate change.
technology company ANDRITZ, is currently examining the possibility of building a carbon capture facility in connection with the bioproduct mill. “Industrially viable carbon capture requires a sufficient point load. In practice, this means a pulp or bioproduct mill that produces a steady volume of carbon dioxide,” says Mikkanen. Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, generates wood-based carbon dioxide at its pulp and bioproduct mills as part of the combustion reaction of the soda recovery boiler and lime kiln, which are part of a pulp mill’s chemical recovery process. The mills produce approximately 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, and around 80–90 per cent of it could be captured. Metsä Fibre’s sawmills produce carbon dioxide in thermal energy production, but the amounts are insignificant, making the sawmills unsuitable for a recovery plant for carbon capture. The study conducted with ANDRITZ focuses on the capture of four million tonnes of carbon dioxide from a mill the size of the Kemi bioproduct mill. The work follows on from the carbon capture study launched in 2023. The project will proceed to the pilot phase in Metsä Fibre’s mill area in Rauma in 2025.
Lignin is a complex three-dimensional biopolymer produced by trees and vascular plants.
Lignin is present in the middle lamella of the plant cell’s wall, where it strengthens the structure of the plant.
Process testing at the demo plant
It is estimated that approximately 20 per cent of the mass of the entire world’s organic matter is lignin.
The launch of the demo plant will be followed by a demo plant phase of that will last approximately one year. This phase will allow the stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the process. “During the demo plant phase, we will find out whether the process is reliable enough and whether it can be scaled for commercial use,” says Matti Toivonen , VP, Production Technology at Metsä Fibre A commercial-scale mill would have a capacity approximately one hundred times greater than that of the demo plant. If an investment decision is made, production
The structure and amount of lignin varies between tree species. The lignin of softwood trees is mainly coniferyl alcohol, while the lignin of hardwood trees is a mix of coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol.
Pulp and bioproduct mills are ideal for carbon capture
Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) is a process in which carbon dioxide is captured from industrial processes or directly from the atmosphere and used in production. Mikkanen tells that Metsä Group, in collaboration with
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