The Emission Free Pulping program aims to significantly reduce biomass burning and increase the product yield of wood material used for pulping from approximately 50 to around 70%. The five-year, €15-million program is jointly led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. (Espoo; ) and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB (Gothenburg; Sweden; ), and includes 10 participants from research organizations, universities and industry.

The program intends to find ways to improve energy efficiency, enhance the efficiency of wood usage and conversion to products, achieve emission-free pulping (especially CO₂ emissions) and significantly reduce water usage in the processes.

“Due to the limited nature of forest resources, the growth opportunities for the industry are constrained,” says Atte Virtanen, vice president of biomaterial processing and products at VTT. “Moreover, the burning of biomass in the pulping process results in the emission of biogenic CO₂. To significantly enhance resource efficiency and increase the value added from wood, revising the chemical processes and unit operations used in the pulping process is essential,” Virtanen says.

Andritz AG, Arauco, Metsä Group, Stora Enso Oyj and Valmet Oyj have committed to a five-year collaboration with the research organizations and universities for this program. In addition, the project involves significant contributions from Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, LUT University, Mid Sweden University, University of Helsinki, University of Oulu and Åbo Akademi University. The program has been granted substantial funding from Business Finland, amounting to over €5 million over a three-year period, with additional funding contributions from industrial partners.