MANAGING CARBON EMISSIONS

Pulp and Paper

The United States is the world’s largest producer of pulp and paper, with its pulp mills emitting approximately 150 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Globally, the pulp and paper industry accounts for around 2% of global emissions. Most pulp is produced through chemical pulping processes, which process results in large point source emissions. Other significant sources of emissions at a pulp and paper plant include kilns and boilers, which are often fueled by fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

With pulp and paper production expected to increase in this decade due to an increasing need for packaging paper and paperboard, carbon emissions from paper production must decline by about 5% annually between now and 2030 to reach net-zero targets by 2050.

There is a unique opportunity for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to reduce emissions in the pulp and paper industry through Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). Approximately 75-100% of carbon emissions from a pulp mill originate from biomass. BECCS captures the emissions generated during the combustion of biomass from the flue gas using post-combustion capture technologies. By 2050, the BECCS potential in pulp mills could be in the range of 200–400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Contact us to learn more about how CGC’s carbon capture technology can help reduce emissions from the pulp and paper industry.