Biomass-based carbon capture and utilization in kraft pulp mills

• Published in: Mitigation and adaptation strategies for global change 2019-10, Vol.24 (7), p.1213-1230
• Main Authors: Kuparinen, Katja, Vakkilainen, Esa, Tynjälä, Tero
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2018; Adequacy; Atmospheric Sciences; Biologically grown products; Biomass; Biomass burning; Biospheric Storage; Boilers; Calcium; Calcium carbonate; Calcium carbonates; Carbon capture and storage; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide emissions; Carbon sequestration; Carbonates; Climate Change Management and Policy; Corporate image; Corporate law; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Energy; Energy balance; Environmental Management; Environmental regulations; Eucalyptus; Gothenburg May 22-24; including: BioEnergy Carbon Capture and Storage; Kraft pulp; Legislation; Lignin; Limiting factors; Mills; Modelling and Incentives and Policy; Original Article; Other Negative Emission Technologies; Papermaking; Pulp & paper industry; Pulp & paper mills; Raw materials; Softwoods; Topical Collection on 1st International Conference on Negative CO2 Emissions; Utilization
• ISSN: 1381-2386; 1573-1596
• DOI: 10.1007/s11027-018-9833-9

Corporate image, European Emission Trading System and Environmental Regulations, encourage pulp industry to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. Kraft pulp mills produce CO 2 mainly in combustion processes. The largest sources are the recovery boiler, the biomass boiler, and the lime kiln. Due to utilizing mostly biomass-based fuels, the CO 2 is largely biogenic. Capture and storage of CO 2 (CCS) could offer pulp and paper industry the possibility to act as site for negative CO 2 emissions. In addition, captured biogenic CO 2 can be used as a raw material for bioproducts. Possibilities for CO 2 utilization include tall oil manufacturing, lignin extraction, and production of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), depending on local conditions and mill-specific details. In this study, total biomass-based CO 2 capture and storage potential (BECCS) and potential to implement capture and utilization of biomass-based CO 2 (BECCU) in kraft pulp mills were estimated by analyzing the impacts of the processes on the operation of two modern reference mills, a Nordic softwood kraft pulp mill with integrated paper production and a Southern eucalyptus kraft pulp mill. CO 2 capture is energy-intensive, and thus the effects on the energy balances of the mills were estimated. When papermaking is integrated in the mill operations, energy adequacy can be a limiting factor for carbon capture implementation. Global carbon capture potential was estimated based on pulp production data. Kraft pulp mills have notable CO 2 capture potential, while the on-site utilization potential using currently available technologies is lower. The future of these processes depends on technology development, desire to reuse CO 2 , and prospective changes in legislation.