Highlights

• Metsä Group has started a carbon capture pilot at its Rauma pulp mill with technology partner Andritz.
• A potential demo plant could capture 30,000–100,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, far more than the pilot’s 1 tonne per day.
• The project highlights how bio-based CO₂ from pulp production could replace fossil-based raw materials in industries like chemicals and fuels.

In June 2025, Metsä Group began running a carbon capture pilot plant at its Rauma pulp mill in Finland. The facility was built with the technology company Andritz, which supplied the equipment.

The pilot is designed to test how efficiently flue gases from pulp production can be captured, as this type of emission source has not previously been used in such projects.

Throughout autumn 2025, the company will examine various options for operating the system. These trials will focus on issues, including energy use, the volume of carbon captured, and the quality of the captured CO₂.

Read More: UK's First Carbon Capture Pilot Launched by enfinium

The pilot phase will also assess whether the flue gases need extra treatment before they can be captured on a large scale.

Buoyed by the early results, Metsä Group is also studying the possibility of a larger demo plant at the same mill. If realised, the demo facility could capture between 30,000 and 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, compared with about one tonne per day at the pilot level.

However, the project would move forward only after technical challenges and financial considerations are resolved, meaning no final decision has yet been taken.

The company notes that the captured carbon dioxide is bio-based, making it a valuable unused by-product of pulp production. This CO₂ could be supplied as a raw material for chemicals and fuels, where it might replace fossil-based alternatives.

Also Read: Manchester Pilot Converts Wastewater Biogas into Clean Hydrogen

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

Even so, the group recognises that investments in carbon capture are large and the market for CO₂ use is still emerging. Developing these markets requires cooperation between industries as well as favourable EU and national regulations.

According to Metsä Group, government funding for green transition projects will play a constructive role in making industrial-scale investments viable.

Ends/

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Source: Metsä Group