FINLAND (News release) -- Finnish forest industry company Metsä Group and the technology company Andritz will investigate the possibility of building a carbon capture facility in connection with the bioproduct mill. The work focuses on the capture of 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from a mill the size of the Kemi bioproduct mill. The Kemi mill is the largest wood-processing mill in the northern hemisphere.

The study will determine the optimal size of a recovery system that would be the most energy efficient combined with the bioproduct mill, as well as the cooling and logistical requirements of the system. The goal is to use the electricity, heat and steam generated in the bioproduct mill as efficiently as possible so that no waste heat is generated.

This work follows on from the carbon capture study launched in 2023. Carbon dioxide capture using an amine solution is an existing proven technology that has been used for decades around the world. However, combining this technology with a pulp or bioproduct mill is progressive.

After the investigation with Andritz, the project will proceed to the pilot phase in Metsä Group's mill area in Rauma in 2025.

If carbon dioxide capture proves viable, a new high-volume wood-based raw material will emerge for the forest industry.

"Our goal at Metsä Group is to process northern wood into increasingly valuable products. If implemented, carbon dioxide capture would open up opportunities for a significant new chemical industry in Finland and boost the Finnish hydrogen economy," says Sari Pajari-Sederholm, Metsä Group's EVP, Strategy.

Metsä Group generates about 12 million tonnes of wood-based carbon dioxide annually, which could be used as a raw material for fossil material substitutes as the related technology and markets develop.

International technology group Andritz offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets.

Metsä Group produces renewable products from northern forests that replace the use of fossil raw materials. The Company focuses on wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, paperboards, and tissue and greaseproof papers.