PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL Renewable gas at the mill: a practical route to decarbonise tissue drying. Thomas Bräck, Msc, Business Development Director, Meva Energy

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
Improving affordability and cost predictability
Affordability is often the decisive factor in industrial
decarbonisation. For tissue producers, the relevant comparison
is not only the commodity price of gas or LPG, but the total cost
of delivered useful heat. Fossil fuel cost includes fuel purchase,
logistics, infrastructure, taxes, emissions costs and exposure to
market volatility.
On-site biogas changes this cost structure. Because the
gas is produced and consumed at the same industrial site, the
value chain avoids several costly steps associated with centralised
renewable gas supply. There is no need to upgrade the gas to
pipeline speci昀椀cation if the customer’s process can use biogas
directly. There is also less dependence on long-distance transport
and external gas infrastructure.
Meva Energy can also deliver the solution through a
long-term energy purchase agreement. Under this model, Meva
builds, owns and operates the gasi昀椀cation plant, while the customer
purchases renewable energy as an output. For tissue producers,
this can reduce upfront investment, simplify implementation and
place responsibility for gasi昀椀cation performance with the technology
provider.
Reducing emissions — and creating a carbon removal pathway
The sustainability case for biosyngas begins with the
replacement of fossil LPG or natural gas. When biomass is
sustainably sourced and meets relevant regulatory criteria, the
carbon released from combustion is biogenic rather than fossil.
Under the EU ETS framework, biomass fuels that ful昀椀l applicable
Renewable Energy Directive sustainability and greenhouse gas
saving criteria can be counted towards the zero-rated biomass
fraction for emissions reporting.
Meva Energy’s process also produces biochar, a stable
carbon-rich co-product. When biochar is used in approved
applications, it can store carbon over long periods and thereby
contribute to carbon dioxide removal. This makes the technology
relevant not only for reducing fossil emissions, but also for
companies seeking credible pathways towards net-zero or even
carbon-negative operations.
A life cycle assessment of Meva Energy’s gasi昀椀cation
plant in Kisa, conducted in collaboration with Chalmers University
of Technology, found a climate impact of 1,6 g CO2-eq/kWh when
only the biosyngas is considered. When biochar sequestration
is included, the result becomes negative: -6 g CO2-eq/kWh. This
indicates that the combination of renewable gas and durable carbon
storage can move beyond fossil fuel substitution and create a
materially different climate pro昀椀le for industrial heat.
Why this matters for tissue producers
Several pathways are being discussed for the
decarbonisation of industrial heat, including electri昀椀cation,
biomethane, hydrogen and carbon capture. All may have roles
to play. However, tissue drying has speci昀椀c requirements, and
many mills already operate with combustion-based heat systems.
For those sites, renewable gas produced at the mill can offer a
pragmatic transition route.
The key advantage is 昀椀t with existing process logic.
Biogas is a gaseous fuel. It can be integrated with burner systems.
It supports controllable heat. It can coexist with existing fuel
Figure 3: Signi昀椀cant reduction of CO2 compared to current
solution. Inclusion of biochar as a carbon sink, the result
becomes net negative!
redundancy. And, unlike future hydrogen infrastructure or largescale grid constraints, it can be deployed where suitable biomass
resources and industrial heat demand are already present.
For the tissue industry, this makes biomass gasi昀椀cation
an immediately relevant option: not a theoretical decarbonisation
pathway, but a technology that has already produced renewable gas
for tissue drying.
From plant project to energy service
Industrial energy projects are complex. Customers must
often manage technology risk, construction risk, fuel supply,
operations, maintenance and 昀椀nancing. Meva Energy’s commercial
model is designed to reduce this threshold by offering renewable
gas as a service under a long-term agreement.
In this structure, Meva Energy can develop, 昀椀nance, build,
own and operate the gasi昀椀cation plant. The customer purchases
renewable process energy, while Meva is responsible for plant
performance and operation. This makes decarbonisation easier to
evaluate as an energy procurement decision rather than as a fully
customer-owned infrastructure project.
For tissue producers that want to reduce fossil dependency
but maintain focus on their core production, this model can be a
practical way to accelerate implementation.
Conclusion: a proven route for renewable process heat
The tissue industry’s energy transition must succeed in
real operating environments. It must deliver reliable heat, support
competitiveness and reduce fossil emissions. Meva Energy’s
installation at So昀椀del Kisa demonstrates that renewable biosyngas
can meet these requirements in tissue production today.
By producing gas directly at the mill from local residual
biomass, the model strengthens security of supply. By avoiding
unnecessary upgrading and transport steps, and by enabling longterm energy purchase agreements, it supports affordability and cost
predictability. By replacing fossil gas and producing biochar, it can
signi昀椀cantly improve the climate pro昀椀le of tissue production.
For tissue mills looking for a near-term route to fossil-free
process heat, locally produced biosyngas offers a practical answer:
renewable energy generated where it is needed, from resources
available close to the mill, with a proven reference in operation.
References and source notes
World Energy Council, World Energy Trilemma Index / framework: energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability.
European Commission / EUR-Lex, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2066, consolidated version 2025-01-01, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions under the EU ETS; biomass zero-rating subject to
applicable RED sustainability and GHG saving criteria.
Directive (EU) 2023/2413 amending the Renewable Energy Directive, including updated sustainability criteria relevant for biomass fuels.
Hedbom, H. & Lundh, P. (2024). Life cycle assessment of biosyngas from a multifunctional biomass gasi昀椀cation plant in Sweden. Chalmers University of Technology.
European Biochar Certi昀椀cate (EBC), guidelines and certi昀椀cation framework for biochar and biochar-based carbon sinks.
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