Swedish Pulp Mill Biorefineries

Rapport, 2008

Wooden biomass resources have provided the basis for significant industrial activities in Sweden for more than a century. Sawn timber products and pulp and paper have dominated the use of wooden raw material for a long time, but its use for energy purposes has grown stronger during the last decades. The expansion of biomass-based combined heat and power generation is the principal example. During the last decade the climate issue has evoked the interest of producing renewable motor fuels from wood biomass, a research area, which has received increased attention for the research agenda of the Swedish Energy Agency. The development has raised questions regarding competition for raw material, production efficiency and industrial development and consequently how the raw material can be utilised in the best way for various applications. In this context, the interest has grown how various products can be manufactured within different kinds of industrial combines. Terminology differs in the literature. Terms like energy combines, bio combines, biorefineries are mentioned and this reflects the growing interest for this area but also the lack of definitions for these concepts. In the years 2005-2006 the project P22400-1,”Swedish Pulp Mill Bio Refineries” was carried out at Chalmers Institute of Technology. The final report of the project was considered to be of interest for a wider group of people and the Swedish Energy Agency has therefore decided to publish it in its report series. The project contains a literature review of projects relating to biorefineries, which have been conducted during the decade 1996-2005. The report is delimited to pulp plants as the basis for the biorefinery. The report is written in English and is intended for decision makers, governmental agencies, researchers, consultants and other stakeholders, with an interest in this field. The principal author of the report is professor Thore Berntsson, Chalmers Institute of Technology. In addition, Peter Axegård, Birgit Backlund, Åsa Samuelsson, Niklas Berglin and Karin Lindgren at STFI-Packforsk have also contributed to the report. Birgitta Palmberger