The role of the forest industry in mitigating global change: towards energy efficient and low-carbon operation

Abstract

The forest industry has increased its energy efficiency substantially in the 21st century, but higher improvement rates could be expected regarding targets set by the European Union and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A variety of factors, i.e. technology development, structural changes and climate policies can drive energy efficiency improvement and decarbonization. This thesis looks how the Finnish and Swedish forest industries are developing towards energy efficient and low-carbon operation and evaluates the role of the sector in mitigating global change. These countries have long been forerunners in efficient operation and the decarbonization of the sector.

The dependency on fossil fuels has decreased in the forest industry as energy efficiency has improved and fossil fuel use has been switching to biofuels. Potential opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions substantially exist: the Finnish and Swedish pulp mills have managed to operate lime kilns using a wide range of biofuels and their recovery boilers have been developed to produce significantly more renewable electricity and heat. New operating modes such as polysulphide cooking seem to provide a cost-effective way to produce pulp with higher material efficiency, but new solutions often cause changes in energy consumption and production. Structural changes, for example start-ups and closures of mills, have had a limited effect on energy efficiency improvement, which highlights the importance of maintaining efficient operation in existing mills.

The forest industry can play a significant role in mitigating global change. The production of bioenergy and biofuels can be increased, notable energy savings can be expected and at least in comparison to other industrial sectors, the forest industry has good premises to achieve net zero industrial emissions before 2050. However, even though the forest industry has developed towards more sustainable operation and feasible technologies for improvement exist, the pace of evolution is slow in light of the urgent targets to mitigate global warming. The forest industry is the fourth largest industrial energy user and the fifth largest fossil CO2 emitter in the world. Investment cycles are long in the forest industry, and 2050 is only one cycle away. Thus, more research and political guidance are needed immediately to accelerate the evolution worldwide.