Biofuel plan still alive

ESCANABA — The next step is being taken in a joint biofuel venture between NewPage and a Swedish company.

NewPage’s possible partnership with ChemRec AB, which operates a biofuel plant in Pitea, Sweden, was announced last year. The two are exploring the feasibility of starting a biofuel plant at NewPage’s Wells Township mill.

“A few employees of NewPage traveled to Sweden to view the technology and determined that working with ChemRec would be a good fit for both companies,” said Kel Smyth, government and community affairs manager at NewPage.

The first phase, a pre-feasibility study, of a three-phase plan has been completed.

“An agreement was reached on April 18 to move forward to Phase ll of the plan, with Phase ll being (another) feasibility study. The study, which will take approximately seven months to complete, will cost an estimated $1.4 million. We are currently working out the cost-sharing details for the study, which will also include a primary engineering study,” Smyth said Tuesday.

Byproducts of paper production at NewPage would be used to make biofuel.

“NewPage operates a kraft/pulp mill, where fiber is removed from wood chips, with the fiber being used for the production of paper products,” said Smyth.

Smyth said “black liquor” is produced during the process of extracting fiber from the wood chips. The black liquor byproduct would be the key component of biofuel.

“Currently, NewPage burns this black liquor in a boiler which produces energy used in the production of paper,” said Smyth.

In Sweden, ChemRec AB takes this stream of black liquor and has established a means of converting the stream into gas. A number of different fuels can then be produced, Smyth said.

“Two of the biofuels being produced using this method are methanol and dimethlyether, which can be used as a gasoline additive. The methanol produced could be used in other industrial processes,” said Smyth. Other fuels being produced through this method are biodiesel, hydrogen gas, and synthetic diesel.