Metsä Group, a leading player in the forest industry, is taking significant steps towards harnessing bio-based carbon dioxide, with an annual generation of around 12 million tonnes from its production units. The company is now increasingly focused on developing large-scale carbon capture technologies that could revolutionize the industry.
Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen, recently appointed as the project director of Metsä Group’s carbon capture initiative, highlighted the potential of this untapped resource. “Bio-based carbon dioxide is an important but still untapped side stream that could be harnessed more effectively as the technology and markets develop,” Pehu-Lehtonen stated.
Should carbon capture prove viable, it could pave the way for a new high-volume wood-based raw material, offering an alternative to fossil-based materials. This initiative aligns with Metsä Group’s broader strategy of maximizing the resource-efficient use of Nordic wood and converting production side streams into increasingly valuable products. “We aim to use Nordic wood in a resource-efficient way and make ever greater use of our production side streams to convert wood into increasingly valuable products,” said Sari Pajari-Sederholm, EVP, Strategy at Metsä Group.
This autumn, the company will complete its first survey to explore the implications of large-scale carbon capture from the bioproduct mill’s flue gases, both in terms of technology and energy use. Building on this, Metsä Group will next year pilot carbon capture technology at its Rauma pulp mill in collaboration with ANDRITZ, a leading technology company.
If successful, the implementation of carbon capture could open the door to a new chemical industry in Finland and significantly boost the country’s hydrogen economy. Pajari-Sederholm emphasized the potential impact, noting, “For example, renewable hydrogen and wood-based carbon dioxide could be used to produce synthetic methane or methanol for further processing.”
Metsä Group’s pioneering efforts could mark a significant shift in the forest industry, turning a previously untapped by-product into a valuable resource and advancing Finland’s role in the renewable energy sector.
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