Technology Pathways

AF&PA estimates that the forest products industry will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 12% by 2012 relative to 2000 numbers. One of the main ways AF&PA anticipates that the industry will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions intensity is through implementation of new technologies from research and development programs.

AF&PA has been participating in DOE's Industries of the Future program, a collaborative research and development partnership between DOE and the forest products industry. Through this program, AF&PA has participated in the development of a number of technologies aimed at cutting energy use, minimizing environmental impacts, and improving productivity in industry. If fully commercialized, these technologies could make the U.S. forest products industry totally energy self-reliant and generate surplus power. Additionally, AF&PA is participating in the Agenda 2020 program, a voluntary partnership with the Department of Energy that fosters cost-shared research and development projects. Forest product industry participants are putting up 50 percent of the investment capital for these demonstration projects. Partnerships such as this promise new energy efficiency and other technological innovations.

The technologies under consideration all derive from the Agenda 2020 program (PDF 163 KB) and will be available for adoption in the time frame specified. The primary technologies under consideration are:

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• Methane DeNO_x - improves biomass and sludge combustion efficiency (PDF 163 KB)
• Biomass Gasification - uses hog-fuel refuse to generate energy
  (PDF 161 KB)
• Black Liquor Gasification - uses spent pulping liquor to generate power more efficiently than steam turbines (PDF 236 KB)
• VOC Controls - reduces emissions from the wood drying and kraft paper process (PDF 113 KB)
• Newest Renewable Fuel Technology: Biomass Gasification (PDF 192 KB)

Additionally, AF&PA expects that considerable emissions reductions will come from improvements in mill energy efficiency through enhanced processes and better maintenance practices combined with switching production capacity to newer, more efficient equipment.