Essity to begin testing with LBG to make production process fossil-free
Gasum delivered the first liquefied biogas (LBG) shipment to its customer, Essity, on 22 March 2021. Already a liquefied natural gas (LNG) customer, Essity will now test renewable LBG in an effort to make its operations and products completely fossil-free. By replacing natural gas with biogas, Essity's tissue production facility in Lilla Edet, Sweden will become emission-free during normal operations and reduce its CO2 emissions to zero.
The Swedish-based hygiene and health company Essity's production facility for tissue in Lilla Edet aims to to become the world’s first large-scale tissue facility with fossil CO2 emission-free production. After successful shorter tests during the beginning of 2021, the Lilla Edet facility will conduct a longer test run replacing natural gas with biogas as energy for the production of Tork branded and consumer tissue products.
“We are very pleased that Essity has made the decision to take a step from LNG to LBG, which is an excellent choice when pursuing a fossil-free production process. We constantly aim to provide our industry customers with a unique and competitive offering, which will help them in transitioning towards more sustainable sources of energy,” Gasum’s Vice President Tommy Mattila says.
“We continually evaluate our production methods. The planning has been going on for a long time and in January we carried out the first tests, with good results. We are now launching full-scale tests with the target of becoming the world's first tissue production plant free of fossil CO2 emissions by 2021. Essity produces tissue in 19 countries. The ambition is to share our experiences with our other production facilities and together contribute to achieving our ambitious climate goals. We want to continue to break barriers to health and well-being by offering innovative and sustainable hygiene and health products”, says Christian Carlsson, Factory Manager at Edet Mill, Essity.
By 2030, Essity will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent for its energy and electricity use within the company and for purchased electricity, compared with the base year 2016. These are targets that have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative since 2018.
Replacing LNG with LBG
The production facility in Lilla Edet has constantly developed its production process to meet Essity's high sustainability ambitions. Recycled paper is used as a raw material and recycled fiber sludge, and collected recycled wood is used to produce steam in the solid fuel boiler, where the paper is dried. During normal operation, the solid fuel boiler has no fossil CO2 emissions. The steam is also distributed via a district heating network to the local community to provide heat.
In the final production step, hot air caps are used to dry the paper. These are heated with gas burners powered by natural gas (LNG). The tests currently being carried out mean that the natural gas will be completely replaced by biogas (LBG).
Liquefied biogas (LBG) – also known as liquefied biomethane and bio-LNG – is a fossil-free and 100% renewable fuel that can reduce CO2 emissions over its life cycle by up to 90% compared to conventional fuel.See the video
See the video Essity to begin testing with LBG from Gasum to make production process fossil-free >
For more information please contact:
Tommy Mattila, Vice President, Gasum
Phone +358 40 581 9247, tommy.mattila(a)gasum.com
The energy company Gasum is a Nordic gas sector and energy market expert. Gasum offers cleaner energy and energy market expert services for industry and for combined heat and power production as well as cleaner fuel solutions for road and maritime transport. The company helps its customers to reduce their own carbon footprint as well as that of their customers. Together with its partners, Gasum promotes development towards a carbon-neutral future on land and at sea. The Gasum Group has 380 employees in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Germany. The company’s revenue totaled €1,128 million in 2019. Gasum is owned by the State of Finland. www.gasum.com
