6 Nov. 2024: Kruger Inc. has announced a $23.75 million investment in an innovative demonstration project for carbon capture and reuse at its Wayagamack pulp and paper mill in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada.

The initiative was made possible by the support of the governments of Canada and Québec, with a contribution of $8.15 million through Natural Resources Canada's Investments in Forest Industry Transformation Program (IFIT) and $9.5 million from the Technoclimat Program funded by the Ministry of Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.

"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 Vice President, Manufacturing, Kruger Pulp and Paper. "This project underscores Kruger's commitment to intensifying its efforts to improve its environmental footprint and promote more sustainable prosperity."

For this project, Kruger is partnering with the developers of the carbon capture technology, Mantel Capture Inc., a North American start-up founded by engineers and scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Together, they are investing a total of $6.1 million.

The promising technology has already proven successful at the laboratory scale and will be tested for the first time in an industrial setting at the Wayagamack Mill. Among its many groundbreaking features is the use of a cutting-edge absorption fluid, molten borate salt, which can withstand extremely high temperatures, up to 600 degrees C. This crucial distinction allows 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, 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. In fact, as part of the demonstration project, Kruger aims to capture up to 5 tons of high-quality CO2 per day.

Preparatory work to implement the technology begins this month, while a two-year test phase is scheduled to start in the fall of 2025. If the project meets expectations, Kruger could deploy the technology across all mill operations, with the goal of making the plant carbon neutral.

Founded in Montreal in 1904, Kruger Inc. is a major provider of tissue products, 100% recycled containerboard, corrugated packaging, pulp and paper products, renewable energy and cellulosic biomaterials.