Renova invests 11 million euros in biomass plant to cut carbon footprint at Torres Novas tissue factory

bioenergy-news.com

by clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 points

Portuguese tissue manufacturer Renova has completed an 11 million euro biomass energy plant at its Factory 2 site in Torres Novas, replacing most of the natural gas used for process heat. The project, partly funded by 5.8 million euros from the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan, cuts the site's Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by 50.6% against 2020 levels, exceeding the original 43% target. Renova expects the plant to avoid around 54,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, with natural gas kept only as backup for maintenance or downtime. The biomass unit processes up to 90 tonnes of feedstock daily, burning at roughly 1,000 degrees Celsius to produce 18 tonnes of steam per hour. Ash is collected for reuse including composting. The project is part of a broader efficiency package at the Torres Novas site that includes upgraded waste-heat recovery, expanded environmental monitoring, and the company's first electric paper-drying unit. Renova has invested roughly 152 million euros at the site over the past 12 years across capacity, automation, and process innovation.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Renova put 11m euros into a biomass plant at their tissue factory in Portugal. Cuts site emissions by half versus 2020. EU funded about 5.8m of it. Worth a read if you follow industrial decarbonization or biomass heat projects.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

54,000 tonnes CO2 avoided per year is a solid number for an 11m euro project. But I wonder what the biomass feedstock is exactly. The article says up to 90 tonnes daily but doesnt specify source. If its local forestry residue that makes sense. If its purpose grown that changes the math.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The EU PRR funding covering about half the cost is the interesting part here. Shows how public money is being used to push industrial heat away from gas. 50.6% emissions cut is ahead of their 43% target which is a good sign for similar projects. But I would want to see the biomass sourcing details before calling it fully sustainable.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Industrial heat is one of the harder sectors to decarbonize so this is a decent example. 18 tonnes of steam per hour from biomass replacing gas. They also mention an electric paper-drying unit which is interesting. Would like to know the payback period on the 11m investment and how much of the biomass is local waste versus imported.