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Wood Power by Kährs
Kährs produces carbon neutral biofuel at its new pellet factory in Nybro
In line with Kährs environmental and sustainability efforts, which focus on selected global goals within UN Agenda 2030, wood materials that are not used in flooring are used to produce biofuel in the form of wood pellets.
For decades, Kährs has been providing carbon neutral biofuel energy in the form of wood powder and in early 2019 started manufacturing wood pellets in its own, newly built, state of the art plant, adjacent to the wood floor factory in Nybro. Production in the modern plant is fully automated and integrated with the floor production. Since wood pellets are a more refined and more standardized product than wood powders, there are a number of advantages, such as that the fuel becomes available to more users and, in addition, wood pellets are more compact and thus more efficient to transport, which is a benefit for the environment.
Sales and distribution to the market are handled through a multi-year partner agreement with Ekman & Co, a prominent and respected organization in the bioenergy market. Ekman & Co is also responsible for the logistics and most of the fossil-free fuel from Kährs is shipped by sea from the warehouse in Kalmar harbour to different destinations and users. The transports from the plant in Nybro to the warehouse in Kalmar take place by trucks powered by renewable diesel, 100% HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), which does not contribute to the release of new carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Kährs goal in its environmental and sustainability efforts is to ensure that all internal transport is done with completely fossil-free alternatives within five years.
“Our goal is to constantly develop and optimize our operations while minimizing our environmental impact and with this plant we take an important step in sustainability. The fact that Kährs pellet products now exist as a sustainable, carbon neutral, fuel alternative in the bioenergy market feels fantastic, "says Bruce Uhler, Sustainability Manager, Kährs Group.
Kährs focuses its environmental and sustainability work on six selected UN Agenda 2030 global goals,
3) health and well-being 7) sustainable energy for all 11) sustainable cities and communities 12) sustainable consumption and production 13) fight climate change and 15) ecosystems and biodiversity. A number of initiatives are being undertaken within this framework, where the project, including the pellet factory and its transport, is part of the initiative to help achieve objective 7) to provide access to sustainable, reliable and renewable energy and clean fuels.
Facts about Kährs pellet manufacturing
Kährs pellet factory has the capacity to produce up to 60,000 tonnes of pellets annually. Corresponding energy extracted from heating oil emits approximately 85,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases in the form of CO2. Wood pellets are considered climate neutral, i.e. they do not contribute to increased net emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere when used. The plant is also powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity and the finished pellets are transported to the warehouse with trucks run on fossil-free fuel.
- Wood powder from the flooring production: about 8 tonnes per hour
- Current production capacity: 8-9 tonnes pellets per hour
- Pellet silo Nybro: Holds 500 m3 = 300 tonnes
- Pellet transport from Nybro to warehouse in Kalmar: 4-6 trucks per day of 35 tons
- Storage capacity in Kalmar: 6,000 tonnes pellets