Project description
Cleaner, higher-yield pulping technology
The kraft process produces 82 % of the world’s virgin pulp, converting half of the wood into fibrous pulp while burning or dissolving the rest during energy and chemical recovery. This process causes significant environmental harm, generating large pollutant emissions, solid and water wastes, noise, and air pollution. The EU-funded SAUNA project aims to develop an innovative pulping method that increases product yields and cuts emissions by 80 % compared to the kraft process. It uses targeted wood fractionation through hot-water extraction followed by alkaline oxidation to achieve these improvements.
Objective
The kraft process accounts for 82% of global virgin pulp production, 180 Mt in 2020. The kraft process converts half of the wood feedstock into fibrous pulp, the rest is dissolved and mainly burnt in the energy and chemical recovery. Kraft process generates significant exhaust flows, containing air emissions and pollutants such as CO2, SO2, NOx, total reduced sulphur (TRS) and particulates, as well as waste waters, solid wastes and noise emissions. The SAUNA project addresses enhanced environmental performance of pulp production in comparison to the kraft process by developing a novel pulping concept, where feedstock, chemistry, unit operations and energy sources are reconsidered by 11 partners: 5 companies, 4 RTO’s and 2 universities. Higher product yield (90%) is achieved by targeted fractionation of wood applying hot water extraction followed by alkaline oxidation producing hemicellulose and water-soluble lignin in addition to fibrous pulp. Biogenic CO2 emissions will be reduced by 80% in comparison to kraft process. The products will be assessed for applications such as packaging, adhesives and polyurethane. Selected sulphur-free chemistry enables significantly simpler chemical recovery applying wet air oxidation, thus avoiding incineration in kraft recovery boiler and lime kiln, where fossil fuels are used for process control. This eliminates CO2, SO2, NOx, and TRS emissions, influencing climate change, acid rains, biodiversity in forests, soils and water systems, health risks for humans and odours. Biorefinery will be designed to utilise external energy from emerging renewable energy sources or power from small nuclear reactors. If in the future, all pulp biorefineries used the SAUNA technology rather than kraft pulping, and produced the current kraft pulp volume in Europe, there would be 300 SAUNA biorefineries, EU would save annually 49 Mt of CO2 (mainly biogenic CO2), 13.5 ktons of gaseous sulphur compounds (as S), and 36.5 ktons of NOx emissions (as NO2).
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2024-ZEROPOLLUTION-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
02150 Espoo
Finland
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