Turning waste to energy
Our bio-energy facility uses anaerobic hybrid digesters (AHDs) to recover organic material from our pulp mill’s effluent stream and convert it to a bio-gas. After conditioning, the bio-gas is used to fuel reciprocating engines, generating 5.2 megawatts of renewable electricity for use in our pulp operations, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Captured waste heat from the power plant is used to offset natural gas usage in pulp drying. Click here for more information and an illustration of the process flow.
This project has delivered both economic and environmental benefits, enhancing our productivity while significantly reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cutting water consumption and improving water quality in the Athabasca River. It’s part of our drive to use the whole tree, with zero waste. We use wood chips from a neighbouring sawmill to manufacture pulp; biomass generated as a byproduct of pulping and effluent treatment processes as a soil conditioner on farm lands; and, in addition to creating our own green energy from mill waste on site, we provide wood residuals to a regional power plant, for use in generating green electricity for the provincial power grid.
