PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, From by to bio: Bioenergy and the modern pulp and paper mill, Wilson Monteiro, Global Business Line Manager for Pulp, Paper and Fiber, ABB’s Process Industries Division

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
For pulp and paper, the implications are immediate
because the industry’s energy demand is both large and process
critical. Drying cannot pause without consequences for quality and
throughput, while recovery and steam networks are tightly bound to
the mill’s overall stability.
However, pulp and paper is better positioned than many
industries to navigate this environment. Unlike sectors that must
import nearly all of their energy, pulp and paper mills already sit on
signi昀椀cant internal energy resources in the form of biomass residues
and process by-products. Black liquor (the by-product from the kraft
process when digesting pulpwood into pulp), bark and wood waste
are streams already central to the process.
This advantage is only realized if bioenergy is actively
optimized as part of an integrated operating strategy. Mills that treat
bioenergy as a static background system are at risk of underutilizing
a critical buffer against external volatility. Energy self-suf昀椀ciency is
not a 昀椀xed attribute; it is a dynamic outcome shaped by process
integration, control sophistication, and strategic intent.
This shift marks a deeper change in how energy is viewed
within mill leadership teams.
Where once energy was considered simply as a cost to be
minimized, it is now a core operational capability inseparable from
production stability, emissions performance and long-term resilience.
As a result, responsibility for energy decisions is moving closer to
the heart of operations, engineering and executive leadership.
Bioenergy sits at the center of what is often described
as the energy trilemma: balancing cost, security of supply and
sustainability. In pulp and paper, that balance plays out daily in
steam balances, load pro昀椀les, recovery boiler uptime and decisions
about whether to export electricity or prioritize internal demand. The
mills that succeed will be those that recognize there is no single
optimization target, and that 昀氀exibility increasingly matters more than
maximization.
In this context, a ‘wait and see’ approach to energy strategy
is becoming increasingly risky as delaying decisions erodes
optionality. The mills that treat energy as a strategic capability rather
than an overhead will be better positioned to navigate volatility while
meeting tightening emissions requirements.
Bioenergy’s evolving role inside the modern mill
Bioenergy has long underpinned energy self-suf昀椀ciency
in pulp and paper. What is changing is the
scope of its role. Bioenergy is an energy-cost
and resilience tool. Internal generation reduces
exposure to volatile external markets and
enhances security of supply. In some regions,
mills have reached the point where they
export surplus renewable electricity to the grid,
effectively operating as local energy hubs. This
creates new revenue opportunities, but also
introduces complexity around grid interaction,
market participation, and operational risk.
Furthermore, bioenergy is increasingly
a circular economy platform. Side streams that
were historically combusted by default are now
being evaluated for alternative uses, including
biofuels, renewable chemicals and heat supply
to neighboring industries or communities. These
options expand the value potential of biomass but
also introduce strategic trade-offs that must be
navigated carefully.
Across all its roles, the de昀椀ning challenge
is integration. Bioenergy does not exist alongside
pulp production; it is embedded within it.
Decisions about energy use reverberate across
chemical recovery, water systems, process
stability and product quality. Managing these
interactions requires a level of operational
visibility and control that goes beyond traditional
siloed approaches.
Image 2: Paper dryer machine. Image ABB
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