Canada has recently published our national Kyoto Protocol final GHG reduction target and fixed at 17% reduction for 2020 based on year 2005 after Potsdam UN conference. In order to meet our national target, the federal government has put in place many plans to assist different industrial sectors in reducing their GHG emissions resulting from their activities. One of the last plans set by the Government called “Green Plan” for the Pulp and Paper sector provides incentives to convert the black liquor into green energy or invest in more efficient technology to reduce energy consumption or produce greener energy and consequently reduce or eliminate the fossil fuel energy, which is related to GHG emission. Up to 24 pulp mills have been qualified to submit projects under the program. The Plan has been very well accepted and contributes to maintain our competitiveness vis-à-vis US mills that have benefitted from a similar program by simply optimizing their existing burners. Proven technologies are now available for better conversion of the black liquor into energy and/or chemicals through gasification and mills should certainly consider these options. Black Liquor gasification can be used to produce methanol, dimethyl ester (DME) or Fisher-Tropsch Siesel (FTD). This technology also has strong potential synergies with power generation and could be an option for the pulp and paper mills generate additional revenues while providing a contribution to the production of substitutes for the fossil fuels used in transportation. Total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada were estimated at in 721 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt of CO2 eq) in 2006 and 80% of these GHG are emitted from the production and transportion these fuels. Hence, conversion of biomass & black liquor by gasification could help in reducing emissions from transportation fuels and also potentially reduce indirect emissions by increasing power generation from the pulp mills.
The forest sector is known as having a huge potential for GHG reduction and offsets, investing more in this sector as proposed by the federal Green Plan, could assist other sectors in meeting their GHG target through offsets generated by the wood industry sector.