Comparison of black liquor gasification with other pulping biorefinery concepts – Systems analysis of economic performance and CO2 emissions

Black liquor gasification (BLG) is being developed as an alternative technology for energy and chemical recovery in kraft pulp mills. This study compares BLG – with downstream production of DME (dimethyl ether) or electricity – with recovery boiler-based pulping biorefinery concepts for different types of mills. The comparison is based on profitability as well as CO2 emissions, using different future energy market scenarios. The possibility for carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered. The results show that, if commercialised, BLG with DME production could be profitable for both market pulp mills and integrated pulp and paper mills in all energy market scenarios considered. Recovery boiler-based biorefinery concepts including extraction of lignin or solid biomass gasification with DME production could also be profitable for market and integrated mills, respectively. If the mill is located close to an infrastructure for CO2 collection and transportation, CCS significantly improves profitability in scenarios with a high CO2 emissions charge, for both combustion- and gasification-based systems. Concepts that include CCS generally show a large potential for reduction of global CO2 emissions. Few of the concepts without CCS achieve a significant reduction of CO2 emissions, especially for integrated mills.

► Black liquor gasification and recovery boiler-based biorefinery concepts studied.
► Profitability and CO2 emissions effect depend on future energy market conditions.
► BLG with DME (dimethyl ether) production shows a fairly robust profitability.
► RB with lignin extraction or biomass gasification could be profitable.
► CCS could significantly improve profitability and CO2 emissions reduction.