Kruger Inc. has confirmed a $23.75m investment in an innovative demonstration project for carbon capture and reuse at its Wayagamack Mill in Trois-Rivières.
The R&D project was unveiled at a press event in the presence of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice -Champlain; Jean Boulet, Member of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières, Minister of Labour of Québec, Minister responsible for the Mauricie Region and the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region and the Nord-du-Québec Region; Gene Kruger, Director and Vice President, Business Development, Kruger Inc.; and Justin Paillé, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing, Kruger Pulp and Paper.
This initiative was made possible by the support of the governments of Canada and Québec, with a contribution of $8.15m through Natural Resources Canada’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation Program (IFIT) and $9.5m from the Technoclimat Program funded by the Ministry of Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.
For this project, Kruger is partnering with the developers of the carbon capture technology, Mantel Capture Inc., a pioneering North American start-up founded by engineers and scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Together, they are investing a total of $6.1m.
The technology has already proven successful at the laboratory scale and will be tested for the first time in an industrial setting at the Kruger Wayagamack Pulp and Paper 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°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.
