Forest biomass in the metal industry – future possibilities and consequences

The project "Forest biomass in the metal industry - future possibilities and consequences" aims to develop new knowledge on the technical and economic opportunities for the Swedish mining and steel industry to use forest-based biomass to reduce their carbon foot print.

The project applies a holistic approach on biofuel alternatives for the mining and steel industry compared to other uses of the biomass feedtsocks. Techno-economic aspects are connected to spatial, markets och resource efficiency issues to provide insight in optimal use and carbon emissions. The interaction between sectors are modeling and analysed.

The project is an important link between current technological, economics and other multi-disciplinary projects with a systems perspective. The aim is to provide knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between markets, policy instruments and technology choices.

Forest biofuels

Forest biomass may play a role in reducing CO2 emissions from metal and mining industry by replacing fossil fuels used as energy carriers and reducing agents. Simultaneously, forest biomass is also in focus for other uses, such as production of green fuels or chemicals. As biomass is a limited resource there is a risk of competition and regional changes in market conditions, which will affect the ability of the metal industry to convert to biomass based production. This project aims to contribute with new knowledge about the possibilities for Swedish metal industry to use forest biomass to reduce its CO2 emissions, in a system where the same limited resource is also in demand by other sectors with similar goals regarding reduced climate impact.

The project is interdisciplinary and uses geographically explicit techno-economic methods to evaluate technology choices and CO2 implications, linked with economic market analysis to analyze the supply and demand of forest biomass.