PAPER making! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TE Volume 8, Number 3, 2022
Decarbonizing the pulp and paper industry: A critical and systematic review of sociotechnical developments and policy options DYLAN D. FURSZYFER DEL RIO 1,2 , BENJAMIN K. SOVACOOLA ,3,4 , STEVE GRIFFITHS 5 , MORGAN BAZILIAN 6 , JINSOO KIM 7 , AOIFE M. FOLEY 8,9 , DAVID ROONEY 2 . Paper has shaped society for centuries and is considered one of humanity’s most important inventions. However, pulp and paper products can be damaging to social and natural systems along their lifecycle of material extraction, processing, transportation, and waste handling. The pulp and paper industry is among the top five most energy-intensive industries globally and is the fourth largest industrial energy user. This industry accounts for approximately 6% of global industrial energy use and 2% of direct industrial CO2 emissions. The pulp and paper industry is also the largest user of original or virgin wood, with deleterious impacts on both human health and local flora and fauna, including aquatic ecosystems. This critical and systematic review seeks to identify alternatives for mitigating the climate impacts of pulp and paper processes and products, thus making the pulp and paper industry more environmentally sustainable. This study reviews 466 studies to answer the following questions: what are the main determinants of energy and carbon emissions emerging from the pulp and paper industry? What are the benefits of this industry adopting low-carbon manufacturing processes, and what barriers will need to be tackled to enable such adoption? Using a sociotechnical lens, we answer these questions, identify barriers for the pulp and paper industry’s decarbonization, and present promising avenues for future research. Contact information: 1 Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex Business School, UK 2 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK 3 Center for Energy Technologies, Department of Business Development and Technology, Aarhus University, Denmark 4 Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, United States 5 Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 6 Colorado School of Mines, Colorado, USA 7 Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Republic of Korea 8 School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AH, UK 9 Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 167 (2022) 112706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112706 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License The Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA) is an independent organisation which operates for the general benefit of its members – both individual and corporate – dedicated to promoting and improving the technical and scientific knowledge of those working in the UK pulp and paper industry. Formed in 1960, it serves the Industry, both manufacturers and suppliers, by providing a forum for members to meet and network; it organises visits, conferences and training seminars that cover all aspects of papermaking science. It also publishes the prestigious journal Paper Technology International ® and the PITA Annual Review , both sent free to members, and a range of other technical publications which include conference proceedings and the acclaimed Essential Guide to Aqueous Coating .
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Article 3 – Decarbonisation
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