UPM-Biofore-Magazine-1-2017-ENG

“The main reason for this reduction is the biomass power plant completed in 2009, which replaced two older bark boiler plants,” Solismaa adds. Research centre completes the set UPMKaukas is also home to UPM’s largest research and development centre. In addition to researching pulp and paper, in recent years the centre has increasingly focused on new businesses, such as biofuels and biochemicals. “The research and development centre is essential to the success of the integratedmill site. It provides the mills with top-class expertise and support for challenges that arise in production,” Nousiainen says. Important research areas also include the utilisation of side streams frompulp and paper production. As a key part of

Pulp mill: The mill produces 740,000 tonnes of softwood and birch pulp per year. The softwood pulp is used to manufacture tissue, board and magazine paper. The birch pulp is used as a raw material for self-adhesive label and specialty papers and UPM Formi biocomposite. Kaukas pulp is delivered to customers in Europe and Asia. Paper mill: The mill uses softwood fibre to annually produce 300,000 tonnes of EU-ecolabelled MWC and LWC papers. The most important market areas for these paper types are in Central Europe and North America, and the papers are used in products such as catalogues, magazines and newspaper supplements. Biorefinery: The first production plant in the world to produce wood-based traffic fuels on a commercial scale (120 million litres of fuel a year). Renewable UPM BioVerno diesel can be used as 100% or mixed with regular diesel, and used as a traffic fuel. Sawmill: The sawmill produces certified sawn timber (pine and spruce) for the construction industry and the window, door and furniture industry. The annual production capacity amounts to 510,000 cubic metres. The main market areas for sawn timber are in Asia, North Africa and Finland. UPM Kaukas is also home to UPM’s wood sourcing and forest services for Eastern Finland, and the mill site hosts UPM’s largest research and development centre. The centre not only drives advances in pulp and paper production, but increasingly also focuses on new businesses such as biofuels and biochemicals. THE UPM KAUKAS INTEGRATED MILL SITE

The Kaukas mill site’s airborne sulphur dioxide emissions were reduced by 49% between 2000 and 2016.

its effort to promote the circular economy, the R&D centre is currently examining how effluent sludge could be used as a fertiliser and as a rawmaterial in biogas production. According to Development Manager Markku Heinonen from the City of Lappeenranta, UPM’s

Teuvo Solismaa

Jaakko Nousiainen

“The circular chain continues with crude tall oil, a residue produced when pulp is cooked, which is used for making renewable diesel and naphtha,” Solismaa explains. All side streams at the biorefinery are also fully utilised. Nousiainen says that there are major synergy gains in having multiple production plants operating on the same mill site. “Managing the rawmaterial chain is clear and straightforward,” he emphasises. The pulp produced at the pulpmill can, for instance, be pumped directly to the paper mill while it is still wet, which provides savings in drying and logistics costs. Local bioenergy Amajor source of synergy is the mill site’s own self-sufficient energy generation, whichmakes use of side streams from the production plants. The wood dissolved in pulp cooking is used for energy production, and the pulpmill in fact generates more heat and electricity than it needs for its own production. The Kaukas production units can thus harness from this excess energy for applications such as drying products at the paper mill and sawmill. The bark collected from the sawmill and the pulp and paper mill is used as fuel by the UPM-operated biomass power plant. The plant in turn generates steam and electricity for the sawmill, the biorefinery and the paper mill. Thanks to the mill site’s synergistic energy production, biofuels accounted for 88% of the energy consumed at UPMKaukas in 2016. There was even enough renewable energy for generating district heating and electricity for the City of Lappeenranta. Good results have also been achieved in other areas of environmental performance in recent years. Based on chemical oxygen demandmeasure­ ments, emissions to water were reduced by 37% between 2000 and 2016. “The biological effluent treatment plant built in the early 1990s considerably lowered the mill site’s emissions to water. The streamlining of production processes has also had a major impact,” Solismaa says. The Kaukas mill site’s airborne sulphur dioxide emissions were reduced by 49% between 2000 and 2016.

research and development centre is also important to the Lappeenranta University of Technology. “Long-term research co-operation benefits commerce and business throughout the entire region,” Heinonen points out.

All raw materials are utilised efficiently with an eye to minimising waste.

Markku Heinonen

Lappeenranta: Environmental pioneer UPMand Lappeenranta have common goals. According to Heinonen, Lappeenranta aims to become a model city for renewable energy and the circular economy and to encourage local businesses and people to adopt new technology as frontrunners in sustainability. Lappeenranta has repeatedly been among the top cities in the international WWF Earth Hour City Challenge, which encourages cities to participate in preventing climate change. “One of the reasons for our success is the energy produced using bio-based rawmaterials fromUPMKaukas.” Heinonen says that UPMalso has a significant effect on the city’s economy. Lappeenranta has a population of 73,000, and UPM is the city’s single largest private employer, directly employing around 1,000, while also providing work for 160 subcontractors. “In addition, the mill site creates approximately 2,600 indirect jobs in fields such as transport, commerce and construction.” According to Heinonen, the integrated Kaukas mill site pays the City of Lappeenranta a total of EUR 15 million per year in taxes. This sum includes corporate tax, real estate tax and taxes from employee wages. The total sum of indirect tax revenues fromUPM is many times greater. In addition to being an important economic player in Lappeenranta, UPMalso actively participates in promoting the city’s wellbeing and vitality by supporting local sports teams and associations. UPMalso collaborates with educational institutions, businesses and public organisations to highlight the circular economy.

Bark and branches PULP MILL BIOREFINERY KAUKAA BIOMASS POWER PLANT

Sapwood PULP MILL PAPER MILL BIOREFINERY Resin PULP MILL BIOREFINERY

Heartwood SAW MILL

Woodchips and sawdust PULP MILL BIOREFINERY

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