The Norwegian company Arbaflame has developed patented wood pellets which will replace coal and cut C02 emissions by 90 percent. In addition, it will produce valuable biochemicals. Now they are ready to start up the company’s first commercial full-scale factory, ArbaOne, in Kongsvinger, Norway.
-“We have global growth ambitions that represent a major industrial investment in a Norwegian perspective. Our goal is to build a large Norwegian industrial company - step by step - that will replace parts of today's coal power production,” said Bjørn Halvard Knappskog, CEO of Arbaflame.
The Norwegian company was founded in 2005 and has developed technology that recycles biowaste from sustainable forestry to renewable energy. By replacing coal with wood pellets, CO2 emissions can be cut by 90 percent in addition to supplying valuable biochemicals as a by-product such as bioplastics, proteins and dyes. The first factory has a production capacity of 1,500 tonnes of biochemicals in addition to 70,000 tonnes of pellets. With a possible global market of more than 7 billion tonnes of coal per year, Arbaflame plans to build a number of new factories, either alone or with partners.
-“The completion of our first full-scale factory, which is based on more than ten years of research, development and testing, is a major milestone for us at Arbaflame. We are looking forward to getting started with commercial production in Kongsvinger and to distributing the first deliveries of environmentally friendly wood pellets to Power Plant Rotterdam. It is a victory for the Norwegian forest industry and its renewable goals that, with Norwegian feedstock produced at our new factory, the coal plant in Rotterdam can reduce its emissions by approximately 140,000 tonnes a year,” says Knappskog.
Complete green coal substitute
Arbaflame's pellets are called ArbaCore and have been tested and verified at 15 energy plants operated by nine different companies in Europe, Japan, the USA and Canada. ArbaCore will be a full-fledged green coal substitute with higher availability than any other fuel in a few years.
-Our ambition is to contribute to Norway, the EU and the world reaching their climate goals by 2050,” Knappskog said.
The demand for ArbaCore pellets is driven by a strong and fundamental need for phasing out coal and the search for greener replacement products. Knappskog emphasizes that Arbaflame is uniquely positioned to take part in this growth.
“Arbaflame is the only company in the world that produces a green coal substitute product that also provides chemical by-products. ArbaCore is a unique and patented product with superior qualities compared to competing products. Our black pellets have advantages in logistics, installation costs and the chemical by-product”, he adds.
The pellets have virtually the same properties as coal, are water-resistant and have high energy density. The special properties mean that the cost of converting the coal power plant is significantly reduced, which is a great advantage compared to alternative bioproducts such as white pellets.