R Buitrago-Tello et al.
Original Article: Linerboard production and decarbonization
Marginal abatement cost curves The alternatives were categorized by developing a MACC. For this MACC, the CAC was determined based on the NPV and the carbon reductions for a 10 year period. The MACC was built considering Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and the total emissions associated with the entire system (Scope 1, 2 and 3). The total capital investment and the changes in the operating cost are included in Supporting Information, Tables S9 and S11. Direct cost structure Figure 4 shows the direct cost structure for the scenarios. The cost structure varied significantly across the technologies, as summarized in Table 2. The capital investment ranged from virtually zero for nylon felt implementation to over
$256 million for the high-efficiency recovery boiler. This substantial variation in investment requirements significantly influenced the economic viability of each technology. All the alternatives represented a saving in the operating cost except for the membrane system and electric boilers. The technologies implemented in the paper machine (shoe press, condebelt, and nylon mesh felt) and the MVR system for black liquor concentration showed advantageous operating cost structures, with annual savings ranging from approximately $4 million for the shoe press to $10 million for condebelt technology. These savings primarily stemmed from reduced natural gas consumption, outweighing the additional electricity costs required to operate these technologies. Regarding the membrane system, the natural gas savings were higher than the other alternatives. However, the membranes required annual replacements, which implied a
Figure 4. Annual direct operating cost structure of different technologies to improve the steam generation/demand in the production of linerboard.
Table 2. Capital and operating costs of decarbonization technologies for linerboard production. Technology Capital investment (millions $) Maintenance capital (millions $/year) Operating cost change (millions $/year)
Maintenance and repair (millions $/year)
Nylon felt
$0.00
$0.00 $0.11 $0.25 $0.76 $1.22 $1.63 $2.57 $0.19
($5.86) ($3.99) ($7.11) ($10.06) $18.83 $30.36
$0.00 $0.22 $0.51 $1.52 $2.45 $3.25 $5.13 $0.37
Shoe press
$11.15 $25.26 $76.10 $122.23 $162.45 $256.49
MVR
Condebelt
4-membranes 5-membranes Recovery boiler Electric boilers
($9.22)
$18.55
$61.73
Note : Negative values in parentheses indicate cost savings.
9
© 2025 The Author(s). Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. | Biofuels, Bioprod. Bioref . (2025); DOI: 10.1002/bbb.2790
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