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From waste to worth: making use of green liquor dregs
The service has received positive feedback from custom- ers, who appreciate finding information about deliveries, delivery schedules and product quality at a single location. In addition, the service contains all the essential docu- ments related to sustainability and product safety. “In recent years, our development efforts have mainly focused on improving service functionality and diversi- fying the content,” says Tari Väätäinen , Technical Cus- tomer Service Manager in charge of Fibre Online and its development. The latest improvements and additions to Fibre Online include a Chinese-language version, a certification report and a function that makes it easier to monitor sea and road deliveries. The monitoring function displays the delivery plans from mill to customer. This has met with a warm wel- come, especially in Asia. “Our Asian customers face long logistics chains and the current global situation can cause major changes to trans- port schedules. Up-to-date information is now available for them,” says Väätäinen. The certification report on sustainability issues indicates the share of FSC® and PEFC™ certified wood in each delivery among other things. “The monitoring function and certification reports were both based on customer wishes, and user feedback has been very positive,”, Väätäinen says. The development is ongoing. The architecture of Fibre Online will be renewed next, and the service will be built on a new software platform. “These reforms will improve performance, especially when opening reports with large data volumes. We will also simplify user administration.”
Metsä Fibre and the University of Oulu are jointly investigating whether green liquor dregs could be used in making artificial stones and construction materials, replacing concrete.
Latest updates on Kemi bioproduct mill
We want to keep our customers updated about the Metsä Fibre Kemi bioproduct mill construction project. This is why we have set up a website with basic information and regular updates and news about the project. Please visit the website at kemipulp.metsafibre. com
Metsä Fibre is actively looking for new uses for the green liquor dregs that results from pulp production. The research is driven by the company’s goal of making 100 per cent use of its production side streams in the form of materials or energy by 2030. One potential use for green liquor dregs is in making geopolymers, materials produced from industrial side streams that can replace concrete. The dregs act as the alkali activators required in the process. One research programme is being carried in collab- oration with the University of Oulu. MIMEPRO project, launched in 2020, explores the utilisation and commercial- isation of industrial side streams as well as geopolymers. “We used them to replace varying amounts of the com- mercial activator in the geopolymer formula. We found it was possible to replace 40 per cent of the original activa- tor with dregs,” says Professor Mirja Illikainen , from the University of Oulu, who heads the research. Metsä Fibre and the University of Oulu are also collabo- rating on another project in which green liquor dregs are used to produce artificial stone. Illikainen explains that this is a simpler task than replacing concrete. The dregs are used as a binder and activator in this production process, too. “In granulation, green liquor dregs and other side streams are made into small granules that can be used as material for artificial stone. Those granules can be used as stone for earthworks or as a replacement for gravel in concrete.” Outi Poukka , Development Manager at Metsä Fibre, says that as part of the research collaboration, the produc- tion of artificial stone material was piloted in summer 2021 with JTP-Industria, a company in Ostrobothnia, Finland. A larger volume of geopolymer granules was produced during the pilot project. “The project is still underway, but we found that gran- ulation is feasible on a larger scale.”
This means that the formula, which was originally de- veloped in a laboratory environment, also works for in- dustrial production and that artificial stone material is a potential use for green liquor dregs. More development work will be required before the product is ready. INTEREST IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY DRIVES DEVELOPMENT Professor Illikainen explains that the development of ge- opolymers is driven by interest in the circular economy and the effort to save natural resources. Geopolymer emissions of carbon dioxide are as much as 80 per cent less than from concrete, imposing a smaller load on the environment. Simple products made of geopolymers, such as garden stones, are already on the market. However, recycled materials are still novel from the per- spective of legislation. As Illikainen points out, standardi- sation and clearer regulation are required for the materials to become more common in construction. “I see no obstacle to these products being launched in the next few years. As for geopolymers, we are on the verge of commercialisation, if not there yet.”
Follow the progress at Kemi and Rauma via our webcams
Did you know that the construction work can be followed live via our webcams? “We are building a unique bioproduct mill in Kemi and the world’s most modern sawmill in Rauma. We want to offer everyone interested the opportunity to follow the events in real time,” says Jari-Pekka Johansson , Director of the bioproduct mill project. A total of five cameras broadcast live video of the Kemi bioproduct mill site and the Port of Ajos in Kemi, where a port warehouse for the bioproduct mill is being built. You can find the Kemi bioproduct mill webcams at metsafibre.com/webcamskemi You can find the Rauma sawmill webcams at metsafibre.com/webcamsrauma
WHAT ARE GEOPOLYMERS? Geopolymers are materials that can be used to replace materials like concrete. They are also a practical example of the circular economy. • Mineral side streams from metal processing, the mining industry and the energy industry can be used as binding agents for geopolymers. Millions of tonnes of such side streams are generated in Finland annually. • Green liquor dregs can be used as an alkali activator to strengthen the binding agent. They are less expensive than commercial alkali activators and have lower carbon dioxide emissions.
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