UPM-Biofore-Magazine-1-2017-ENG

TEXT VESA PUOSKARI   PHOTOGRAPHY VILLE VAUHKONEN, JANNE LEHTINEN, VESA PUOSKARI, UPM; COURTESY OF THE INTERVIEWEES

Lignofuels 2017 conference participants joined an excursion to Lappeenranta to see the UPM Biorefinery in operation.

Boosting the biofuels industry

The biofuels industry is full of promise. New EU legislation, breakthrough technologies and increasing demand for biofuels and biomaterials in global markets are building solid foundations for the future development of the industry.

“

T he EU and national authorities have set very ambitious CO 2 emission reduction targets and a legal framework that supports the growth of biofuels and the bioeconomy in general,” explains Sari Mannonen , Vice President, UPMBiofuels. “The current trend highlights the strong role of advanced biofuels in decarbonising transport, including shared her vision of the industry’s future prospects at the 9th edition of the Lignofuels conference, which brought nearly 150 participants from Australia, Brazil, China, the US and Europe to Helsinki in early February. “Advanced biofuels have proven to be a solid, profitable business for UPM. We have excellent growth opportunities not only in fuel retail and dedicated green fleets, but in the maritime sector too,” Mannonen confirms. “There is pressure to reduce several use in jet fuels, heavy duty fuels andmarine diesel,” she adds. Mannonen

“I also agree with the mandate that the

kinds of emissions inmaritime transport as well.

Commission has set for lignocellulosic biofuels — it is definitively needed. We are talking about relatively

Solutions to reduce sulphur emissions, such as installing scrubbers on vessels, are

Marko Janhunen

high volumes of advanced biofuels, so I believe that the new proposal will give producers an opportunity to move forward with their investment plans.” Exploring a biorefinery Finland, the host of the conference, is a frontrunner in exploiting lignocellulosic biomass. As a major highlight of the week, about 70 conference participants joined a bus excursion to Lappeenranta to visit the UPMBiorefinery. “Our guests were very pleased to have this exclusive opportunity to visit our one-of-a-kind plant and see a commer­ cial-scale wood-based biorefinery in operation. Overall, we have strong competencies in biorefining techno­ logies in the Nordic countries,” adds Mannonen. Mannonen is proud of UPM’s recent achievements in the biofuels industry. “Thanks to our excellent R&D we have developed a new breakthrough technology and ramped up production for market entry in a relatively short time span.”

very expensive. Renewable sulphur-free drop-in fuels therefore offer an excellent alternative means of reaching emission reduction targets,” she notes.

“I believe facts such as this will contribute to creating

sustainable foundations for forthcoming investments in this sector in Europe.” Policy matters UPM’s Marko Janhunen , Vice President, Stakeholder Relations, UPMBiorefining, also welcomes the EUCommission’s

Sari Mannonen

new legislative proposal. “The core point of the proposal is that we have to increase biofuel production significantly to be able to reach the new targets. The Commission’s target is for advanced biofuels to account for at least 6.8% of overall fuel consumption, which will necessitate substantial investment in new technologies utilising non-food rawmaterials.”

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