Waste bark is a by-product made from bark falling off timber during handling in saw mills or during transport. In Sweden, there has long been a tradition of using by-products such as bark and woodchips for energy recovery, while in Norway waste bark is mostly regarded as the name indicates: As waste. As a result, there are many piles of unutilized wastebark at Norwegian sawmills and other places where timber is handled.
Bøn Biobrensel AS (Bøn Biofuel), a subsidiary of Geminor, has been upgrading by-products from Norwegian sawmillsfor many years. Now, the company also wants to focus on Norwegian waste bark, says General Manager Johan Olö.
“Norwegian sawmills have long been interested in upgrading the waste bark, but a fraction like this has been too expensive to produce. However, Swedish energy recovery plants are now reporting a need for Norwegian waste bark, creating the right market for us to commence the production of a sorted and treated fraction for energy recovery, says Olö.
“The fact that we now can utilize bark that would otherwise go to landfill and emit GHG is a good solution for everyone.The sawmills get rid of waste they cannot use, while the energy recovery plants receive sustainable fuel. Hence, this offtake reduces CO2 emissions”, explains Johan Olö.
Prepare with screening and grinding
As part of the start-up project, Bøn Biobrensel has been working closely with Jönköping Energy in Sweden on a shipment of 25,000 tonnes of treated waste bark. The collaboration has led to an investment in a mobile sorting line that can produce the fraction at location. An efficient sorting line means that smaller volumes of bark need to be ground, which also reduces emissions in the process.
Piroz Kristedt, Head of Energy Contracts at Jönköping Energy, believes that the project has helped to further develop the wastebark fraction.
"We have had a longstanding cooperation with Geminor which has made it easy for us to commit to this project. The fraction quality has always been the risk factor, but Geminor's efforts to find new screening methods, organize return transports and establish new partnerships with sawmills have made this a well-functioning solution for us," says Kristedt.
Johan Olö now sees a potential to send thousands of tonnes of treated waste bark to Nordic plants annually.
"A large Norwegian sawmill is normally left with around 5,000 tonnes of waste bark per year. This means that thousands of tonnes of waste bark are left unused at sawmills in Norway. Our job now is to raise awareness about the use of the bark, and at the same time deliver waste bark where there is a need," concludes Johan Olö at Bön Biobrensel AS.
