Residual products from the paper industry are being turned into fuel

The EU Pulp and Fuel project aims to produce biodiesel at a low cost by utilizing waste products from the paper and pulp industry. This will be done via gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The project will contribute to the development of second-generation biofuels that over the long term will reduce greenhouse gas emitted by the transport sector.

There are several processes available for refining dry residues from the paper and pulp industry, but refining wet residues is a major technical challenge. Generally speaking, it is both energy-intensive and expensive, partly because the wet residual product must first be dried.

The aim of the project is to develop biofuels from residual flows from the paper and pulp industry at low cost by utilizing synergies between wet and dry gasification. A simple, inexpensive and robust gasification process will be developed to produce synthetic gas of sufficient quality to be used for the production of diesel and gasoline-like biofuels with the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

Instead of drying wet residual flows such as black liquor and sludge, supercritical water gasification is used. This is carried out in a test facility in Grenoble, France. Dry residual flows, especially bark, are being tested for gasification in Swedish town Piteå. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is then developed in Trondheim, Norway.

IVL participates in the project and recommends water purification processes that can be implemented concurrently with the gasification. IVL also carries out environmental and economic assessments of the fuels produced.