Analysing the potential for implementation of CCS within the European pulp and paper industry

In this paper an approach for analysing the potential for implementation of different technology pathways for the European pulp and paper industry (PPI) is presented. The approach is based on detailed technical research and aggregates the knowledge from previous studies to incorporate the whole European PPI. Thus, the potential for different technology pathways can be estimated on a European level whilst still considering important characteristics of individual mills. The usefulness of the approach was exemplified by applying it to a case study of the potential for introduction of carbon capture and storage (CCS) within the European PPI. The results from the case study show that for the European PPI, CCS has an up-hill road in order to be a viable, large scale alternative for reduction of CO2 emissions. If CCS is to be introduced in large scale within the European PPI, large biomass-based point sources of CO2 emissions need to be included when planning for CCS infrastructure and also the infrastructure needs to be built out for clusters emitting <20 MtCO2/yr.

► An approach for analysing different technology pathways for the European pulp and paper industry (PPI) is presented.
► The usefulness of the approach is exemplified by a case study of the potential for carbon capture and storage (CCS).
► The amount of CO2 that can be captured depends heavily on the expansion of CO2 transport infrastructure.
► There is a miss-match between the location of the PPI's CO2 emissions and the location of other large emissions sources.
► For the European PPI, CCS has an up-hill road to become a viable alternative for reduction of CO2 emissions.