Kaidi Finland

Last updated
Sunshine Kaidi (Finland) New Energy Co. Oy
Type Subsidiary
Industry Energy Industry
Founded2016
Headquarters,
Products Renewable fuels
Parent Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group
Website www.kaidi.fi

Sunshine Kaidi (Finland) New Energy Co. Oy (Kaidi Finland) is an energy company that plans to build a biofuel refinery in Kemi, Finland. [1] It is a subsidiary of the Chinese energy company Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group. The refinery would use second generation biofuel technology. Its investment value is around one billion euros. [1]

Contents

Kemi biofuel refinery

The biofuel refinery in Kemi would generate approximately 200,000 metric tons of biofuel, of which 75% would be biodiesel and 25% biofuel. [2] The feedstock used in the refinery would be mainly energy wood along with crop residues and surplus materials from the forest industry. [3]

The refinery’s yearly demand for wood would be 2 million cubic tons of energy wood. There is a total of 120,000 hectares of forest in need of first felling within a 200 kilometer range of Kemi. An amount of 20 million cubic meters of energy wood can be harvested from it yearly. Currently, approximately 6 million cubic meters of wood is left over in the woods every year. Kaidi Finland has reported that it may also procure energy wood from Sweden. [4]

The effect the refinery would have on employment in Kemi is notable. The building process would bring 4,000 person-years’ worth of labor to the area. When the refinery is completed, it would employ 150 persons full-time while bringing hundreds of jobs to local subcontractors and energy wood providers. The domestic content of the project is estimated to be around 50 percent. [4] Kaidi will make the final decision regarding the investment during 2016. [5]

Technology

The planned refinery in Ajos, Kemi would use second generation biofuel technology, such as plasma gasification, syngas cleanup and the Fischer-Tropsch process. Plasma gasification involves heating the processed material to a notably higher temperature than in other gasification methods, making it more suitable for the processing of demanding materials, such as wood. The process increases the efficiency of the feedstock. [6]

The Fischer-Tropsch process is a catalytic chemical reaction, where carbon monoxide and hydrogen are transformed into liquid hydrocarbons. The catalysts are iron and cobalt based and speed up the chemical reaction in certain temperatures. The primary function of the process is to produce a synthetic oil replacement to be used as a synthetic lubricant or fuel. The process was invented by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in the 1920s as a way of producing liquid fuel. [5]

Second generation biofuels refer to fuels that use municipal solid waste and materials high in lignocellulose content in their production.

Project

Kaidi first began planning the biofuel refinery in 2014 after the previous project by Vapo and Metsä Group was discontinued. Vapo and Metsä Group had planned to build a similar refinery in Ajos. This means that the city of Kemi is already well prepared for the planned refinery and has advanced the required permit applications. [7]

In 2016, Kaidi Finland planned to finalize the permit applications along with the design and modeling of the refinery. The building project would start in 2017 and the refinery would begin producing biofuel for commercial markets in 2019. [5] In Oct 2016, Kaidi Finland has signed a contract with the city of Kemi to acquire a 32 hectare land area for the planned biofuel refinery. [8]

The project was put on hold until EU Renewable Energy Directive is implemented in Finnish law, which may happen 2020 or later. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a fuel gas mixture consisting primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and very often some carbon dioxide. The name comes from its use as intermediates in creating synthetic natural gas (SNG) and for producing ammonia or methanol. Syngas is usually a product of coal gasification and the main application is electricity generation. Syngas is combustible and can be used as a fuel of internal combustion engines. Historically, it has been used as a replacement for gasoline, when gasoline supply has been limited; for example, wood gas was used to power cars in Europe during WWII. However, it has less than half the energy density of natural gas.

UPM (company) Finnish forest industry company

UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996. UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Communication Papers and UPM Plywood. The Group employs around 18,000 people and it has production plants in 12 countries. UPM shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange. UPM is the only paper company which is listed in the global Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the only forest industry company invited to the United Nations Global Compact LEAD sustainability leadership platform.

Gasification Form of energy conversion

Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2). This is achieved by reacting the feedstock material at high temperatures (typically >700 °C), without combustion, via controlling the amount of oxygen and/or steam present in the reaction. The resulting gas mixture is called syngas (from synthesis gas) or producer gas and is itself a fuel due to the flammability of the H2and CO of which the gas is largely composed. Power can be derived from the subsequent combustion of the resultant gas, and is considered to be a source of renewable energy if the gasified compounds were obtained from biomass feedstock.

Kemi Town in Lapland, Finland

Kemi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is 105 kilometres (65 mi) to the south and to Rovaniemi is 117 kilometres (73 mi) to the northeast. It was founded in 1869 by a decree of the Emperor Alexander II of Russia because of its proximity to a deepwater port.

The Fischer–Tropsch process is a collection of chemical reactions that converts a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen or water gas into liquid hydrocarbons. These reactions occur in the presence of metal catalysts, typically at temperatures of 150–300 °C (302–572 °F) and pressures of one to several tens of atmospheres. The process was first developed by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, in 1925.

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Biorefinery

A biorefinery is a refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts. The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 42 defined biorefining as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio-based products and bioenergy ". As refineries, biorefineries can provide multiple chemicals by fractioning an initial raw material (biomass) into multiple intermediates that can be further converted into value-added products. Each refining phase is also referred to as a "cascading phase". The use of biomass as feedstock can provide a benefit by reducing the impacts on the environment, as lower pollutants emissions and reduction in the emissions of hazard products. In addition, biorefineries are intended to achieve the following goals:

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  2. Supply new building blocks for the production of novel materials with disruptive characteristics
  3. Creation of new jobs, including rural areas
  4. Valorization of waste
  5. Achieve the ultimate goal of reducing GHG emissions
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Synthetic fuel or synfuel is a liquid fuel, or sometimes gaseous fuel, obtained from either syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, or a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The syngas could be derived from gasification of solid feedstocks such as coal or biomass or by reforming of natural gas. Alternatively a mixture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and green hydrogen could be used for an almost climate neutral production of synthetic fuels.

Biomass to liquid

Biomass to liquid is a multi-step process of producing synthetic hydrocarbon fuels made from biomass via a thermochemical route.

Neste Finnish oil company

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Waste-to-energy

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Rentech

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Torrefaction

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1949 Kemi strike

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Sunshine Kaidi Chinese renewable energy company

Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group Co. Ltd. is a Chinese holding company. It is one of the largest bioenergy companies in China. The company is privately owned with the controlling stake belonging to Chen Yilong. Its subsidiary Kaidi Ecological and Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. in which Sunshine Kaidi owns a 29.08% stake, is listed in the Shenzhen stock market, but the trading is suspended.

References

  1. 1 2 Liimatainen, Karoliina; Palojärvi, Eeva; Sajari, Petri (February 10, 2016). "Kiinalaisyritys kaavailee miljarditehdasta Kemiin, luvassa jopa 4 000 työpaikkaa" [The Chinese company plans a billion factories in Kemi, promising up to 4,000 jobs]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  2. "Kaidi: Lopullinen päätös biojalostamosta tänä vuonna" [Kaidi: Final decision on biorefinery this year]. Taloussanomat (in Finnish). February 10, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  3. "Kemin biojalostamoon ainutlaatuista tekniikkaa" [Kemi biorefinery has unique technology]. Lapin Kansa (in Finnish). February 10, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Uudesta biojalostamosta tulee puurohmu". Pohjolan Sanomat. February 16, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Kemin biojalostamo". Kaidi. February 10, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  6. "Kemin biodieseljalostamo nielisi puuta kaksi miljoonaa kuutiota". Maaseudun tulevaisuus. February 2, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  7. "Kaidi alkoi neuvotella biojalostamosta heti Vapon hankkeen kariuduttua". Kauppalehti. February 10, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  8. Kaidi Finland has signed a contract with the city of Kemi, Kaidi Finland News, October 24, 2016
  9. "Kiinalaisen Kaidin investointipäätös Kemin biovoimalasta tehdään aikaisintaan 2021". 23 January 2019.