Carbon dioxide capture is an existing technology, but it has not yet been used for pulp mill flue gases. During the autumn of 2025, different process conditions will be tested at the pilot plant, which will affect, among other things, energy consumption and the amount of carbon dioxide captured. The pilot period will also provide information on the need for flue gas cleaning and the quality of the end product.
“So far, it seems that the technology also works well with pulp mill flue gases,” says Metsä Group’s carbon dioxide capture project manager. Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen.
As part of the piloting, Metsä Group is investigating a larger-scale carbon dioxide capture pilot plant in Rauma. The pilot plant would have a capacity of 30–000 tonnes of captured carbon dioxide per year. No decision has been made on the project or the location of the pilot plant. The implementation of the project would require the resolution of all technical and financial issues. The capacity of the pilot plant would be more than a hundred times greater than the pilot plant. The pilot plant can capture approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide per day.
Bio-based carbon dioxide is a side stream of pulp mills that has so far been almost completely untapped. Carbon dioxide can be used as a raw material in the chemical and fuel industries, among other things, and can replace the use of fossil raw materials. Carbon dioxide capture does not increase the pulp mill's wood use or reduce production efficiency.
