Kruger plans $24M carbon capture and reuse system at Quebec mill

Quebec-based pulp giant Kruger, and U.S.-based start-up Mantel Capture Inc., are partnering on the world’s first demonstration-scale carbon capture system in the pulp and paper industry at Kruger’s Wayagamack Pulp and Paper Mill.

The $24 million project, planned for the facility in Trois-Rivières, would install Mantel’s high-temperature carbon capture system so Kruger can reduce energy losses, lower operating costs and reduce the mill’s emissions by 1,800 tonnes per year.

It could also serve as a model for carbon removal that can be replicated throughout the pulp and paper industry.

“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of testing this promising new technology, which has the potential to help us, as well as the entire manufacturing sector, achieve our goal of decarbonizing our operations,” said Justin Paillé, senior VP for Manufacturing at Kruger Pulp and Paper, in a release.

“This project underscores Kruger’s commitment to intensifying its efforts to improve its environmental footprint and promote more sustainable prosperity.”

Mantel’s molten borates technology will be tested for the first time in an industrial setting at the Wayagamack mill, but it’s already been successfully proven at the laboratory scale.

The start-up, founded by engineers and scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, recently raised $30 million for an industrial demonstration project to help pave the way for full-scale commercial deployment of its systems. 

Kruger Wayagamack Pulp and Paper Mill. | Photo: Kruger

The groundbreaking system uses cutting-edge absorption fluid, molten borate salt, which can withstand extremely high temperatures, up to 600 C, allowing for the direct integration of the capture system into a steam boiler.

In addition to being more efficient and cost effective than other carbon capture methods, Kruger says Mantel’s technology is also energy efficient and sustainable.

It enables the capture of carbon while producing clean steam, both of which can be reinjected into the papermaking process.

As part of the demonstration project, Kruger aims to capture up to 5 tonnes of high-quality CO2 per day, or 1,800 tonnes per year.

Preparatory work to implement the technology will begin in November. A two-year test phase is scheduled to start in the fall of 2025.

If the project meets expectations, Kruger says it could deploy the technology across all mill operations in an effort to reach carbon-neutrality for the entire plant.

Mantel and Kruger are partnering on $6.1 million for the project. Together, federal and provincial governments have committed $18 million.

The feds announced $8.1 million through Natural Resources Canada’s Investment in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program, and the province announced $9.5 million through its Technoclimat program.

“Thanks to the funding provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program, companies like Kruger can take part in high-level research and development projects,” said Paillé.

The IFIT program aims to improve the environmental performance of the forestry sector by facilitating the adoption of transformative technologies that contribute to the decarbonization of industrial processes. It also looks to create a more competitive, resilient and environmentally sustainable sector with a focus on innovative, low-carbon projects that result in new or diversified revenue streams.

The provincial funding comes through the Technoclimat program, which offers financial assistance to support technology demonstration projects in Quebec in terms of energy and greenhouse gas reduction, either for the development of a pre-commercial innovation or for the testing of a technology that is not yet available in the Quebec market.

“Through our Investment in Forest Industry Transformation program, we are continuing to support Quebec’s forest sector to implement innovative technologies that increase efficiency and capacity, lower emissions and create good, sustainable jobs,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

At another of its Quebec plants, Kruger and Valmet are celebrating the successful start-up of an Advantage DCT 200 TS tissue machine.

The new tissue machine at Kruger’s Sherbrooke Tissue Plant marks a major milestone for its products, which recently produced its first paper roll on the reel with a bath product.

Kruger also recently won $32.4 million in provincial and federal funding for its Kamloops Pulp Mill in British Columbia.The funding will support the commissioning of a new pressure diffusion washer with an AI-powered control system — the first technology of its kind in Canada.

Founded in Montréal in 1904, Kruger Inc. is a major provider of tissue products, 100% recycled containerboard, corrugated packaging, pulp and paper products and renewable energy. The Company is also a leader in paper and paperboard recycling in North America.

A privately held family company, Kruger Inc. has 6,000 employees and its facilities are located in Québec, Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as in the United States: Tennessee, Maine, New York, Virginia, Kentucky and Rhode Island.