Metsä Group launches carbon capture pilot at Rauma pulp mill

In June, Metsä Group commissioned a carbon capture pilot plant at its Rauma mill in Finland, in collaboration with technology supplier Andritz. The initiative marks the first time pulp mill flue gases are being tested for carbon capture. Over the course of 2025, the pilot will examine operating models related to energy consumption, capture efficiency, flue gas treatment, and product quality.

“So far, the technology appears to be working well with the pulp mill’s flue gases,” says Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen, SVP Business Development and Director of Metsä Group’s carbon capture project.

The company is also considering the development of a large-scale demo plant at Rauma with a capacity of 30,000 to 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, over one hundred times the pilot’s current capacity of about one tonne per day. No decision has yet been made on its implementation or location, as both technical and financial issues remain to be resolved.

 

Bio-based carbon dioxide, an underutilized pulp mill side stream, could serve as a raw material for the chemical and fuel industries, providing an alternative to fossil-based inputs. Importantly, the capture process does not increase wood use or reduce mill efficiency.

“Capture-related investments are large, and the market is underdeveloped, so we’re proceeding gradually. In addition, the value chains from raw material to finished products are often new and complex, requiring close cooperation between the participants and an insight into industrial operations,” Pehu-Lehtonen notes.

Metsä Group emphasizes that while its development activities aim to stimulate emerging markets, broader progress will depend on EU and national regulations, as well as state aid to support the green transition and accelerate industrial investments.