Mitsubishi/Hokuetsu demo CO2 capture system at paper mill in Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and paper manufacturer Hokuetsu Corporation recently launched a CO2 capture demonstration test at Niigata Mill (Niigata City). This demonstration test aims to capture CO2 from a chemical recovery boiler that produces the steam and electricity needed for paper manufacturing, by using MHI’s CO2MPACT Mobile(Note) CO2 capture system.

This is the first case in which MHI’s CO2 capture technology is being applied to the pulp and paper industry.

This demonstration test will allow MHI to analyse and evaluate data for commercial application and accelerate decarbonisation in this industry.

Chemical recovery boilers use “black liquor” as their main fuel, which is generated as a by-product in the pulp production process, the raw material for paper. The wood chips are dissolved in a sodium-containing solvent known as “white liquor” to extract the pulp, and the white liquor component is recovered from the black liquor residue that remains after combustion and is re-circulated for reuse.

As the need for decarbonisation grows around the world, Japan is also actively engaged in decarbonisation efforts in various industrial sectors. And the pulp and paper industry is one of them.

The firms add that this demonstration test is expected to provide the pulp and paper industry with a solution that contributes to further global environmental measures by directly capturing CO2 emissions in the production process.