Fossil-free production is on the horizon
Improved resource efficiency, investments in the latest technology, and synergies between pulp mills and sawmills are taking Metsä Fibre towards fossil-free production.
SILJA EISTO
All fuel used in production at Metsä Fibre’s pulp mills and sawmills will be fossil free by 2030. Mill production is already 96 per cent fossil free. New investments will play an important role in reach- ing this target. “The Kemi bioproduct mill and Rauma sawmill are our key investments in terms of achieving fossil-free pro- duction,” says Marko Ruottinen , Sustainability Manager at Metsä Fibre. Like the Äänekoski bioproduct mill, production at the new Kemi mill will be fossil free from the outset, and only bio-based fuels will be used at the mill. The Jout- seno pulp mill already runs free of fossil fuels during normal operations. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SYNERGIES The synergies between Metsä Fibre’s pulp mills and sawmills promote fossil-free production. The Rauma sawmill, due to 2022, will obtain heat and electricity from the surplus energy generated by the pulp mill op- erating in the same integrated unit. The new sawmill in turn will enable the pulp mill to operate free of fossil fuels in the future. “The lime kiln at the Rauma pulp mill is currently powered by fossil fuels. After the completion of the Rau- ma sawmill, its by-products can be used as biofuel for the lime kiln. However, this calls for additional investments,” Ruottinen points out. By 2030, fossil-free alternatives will also replace fossil
fuels when production is ramped up after maintenance shutdowns at the Rauma and Joutseno pulp mills.
RESOURCE EFFICIENCY AT THE CORE In terms of the carbon footprint of production, it is also essential to ensure that production unit operations are resource efficient as well as fossil free. “Our mills and processes will be made resource effi- cient, all our raw material will be fully utilised, and the use of chemicals will be minimised,” says Ruottinen. The continuous improvement of resource efficiency is a key criterion in new projects and investments. “One of our goals is to reduce water consumption, which will help improve energy efficiency.” Investments, innovation, and the harnessing of new technology will boost the resource, energy and environ- mental efficiency of mills. For example, chemicals used in production are recy- cled efficiently, and production side streams are used to produce bioenergy and some of the production chemi- cals required. The secondary heat from production will also be utilised as efficiently as possible. Metsä Fibre’s pulp mills have an electricity self-suf- ficiency rate of around 170 per cent. They account for eight per cent of the electricity generated from renew- able energy sources in Finland. “Electricity self-sufficiency is a sign of our resource efficiency, and we aim to maximise the volume of bio- energy sold to others,” says Ruottinen. •
Marko Ruottinen Metsä Fibre’s Sustainability Manager.
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