LAPSE:2023.6286
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.6286
Decarbonization Prospects for the European Pulp and Paper Industry: Different Development Pathways and Needed Actions
February 23, 2023
The pulp and paper industry (PPI) has several opportunities to contribute to meeting prevailing climate targets. It can cut its own CO2 emissions, which currently account for 2% of global industrial fossil CO2 emissions, and it has an opportunity to produce renewable energy, fuels, and materials for other sectors. The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of the decarbonization prospects of the PPI. The study provides insights on the magnitude of needed annual renewal rates for several possible net-zero target years of industrial fossil CO2 emissions in the PPI and discusses decarbonization opportunities, namely, energy and material efficiency improvement, fuel switching, electrification, renewable energy production, carbon capture, and new products. The effects of climate policies on the decarbonization opportunities are critically evaluated to provide an overview of the current and future business environment of the European PPI. The focus is on Europe, but other regions are analyzed briefly to widen the view. The analysis shows that there are no major technical barriers to the fossil-free operation of the PPI, but the sector renovates slowly, and many new opportunities are not implemented on a large scale due to immature technology, poor economic feasibility, or unclear political environment.
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Keywords
BECCS, bioenergy, Biofuels, climate policy, CO2 emissions, Energy Efficiency, energy transition, pulp and paper industry
Subject
Suggested Citation
Lipiäinen S, Apajalahti EL, Vakkilainen E. Decarbonization Prospects for the European Pulp and Paper Industry: Different Development Pathways and Needed Actions. (2023). LAPSE:2023.6286
Author Affiliations
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
16
Issue
2
First Page
746
Year
2023
Publication Date
2023-01-09
Published Version
ISSN
1996-1073
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Original Submission
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PII: en16020746, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.6286
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doi:10.3390/en16020746
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[v1] (Original Submission)
Feb 23, 2023
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