Why this B.C. pulp mill wants to produce hydrogen
CBC
A $21-million green hydrogen production facility is set to be built inside the Kruger Pulp Mill in Kamloops, B.C.
The goal of the project is decarbonizing and reducing the mill's reliance on natural gas, said Irene Preto, the general manager of Kruger Kamloops Pulp.
The construction of the 10-megawatt facility, called the Kamloops Clean Energy Centre, is a collaborative effort between the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Nation, Elemental Clean Fuels and Kruger Kamloops Pulp.
On Dec. 8, Sc.wén̓wen, the economic division of the nation, announced the novel project.
The project prompted questions over why a pulp mill is choosing to produce hydrogen, and how it will be done. Here's what you need to know.
The Kruger Pulp Mill makes paper and pulp products using wood.
A part of its manufacturing process, the lime kiln, is particularly energy-intensive and requires a lot of heat — which is currently derived from burning natural gas.
"To be able to decarbonize the natural gas out of our lime kiln is a really big step forward towards our goal of becoming more renewable," said Preto.
The mill plans to replace 16 per cent of the natural gas used in the lime kiln with hydrogen.
When hydrogen is burned, rather than creating carbon dioxide, it creates water and heat.
When hydrogen atoms are isolated, they can store and transport a lot of energy, similar to other energy-rich products like natural gas.
Hydrogen atoms are reactive, meaning they usually like to be combined with other atoms to form molecules — unless a lot of energy is present.
Production is done in two ways: either by separating hydrogen from a carbon-rich molecule like methane (CH4), or from water (H2O).
But when carbon-containing molecules like coal or methane are burned for hydrogen production, carbon dioxide is released as a byproduct, leading to greenhouse gas emissions.
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