Green ammonia from Finland – a synergy of water, wind and land

A derivative of green hydrogen produced from renewable energy, green ammonia has the potential to become a new source of energy and revenue for the Finnish national economy. It allows the country to break its dependence on natural gas imports and provides self-sufficiency to secure agricultural production, power vessels in the future or to be a carrier of green hydrogen. Finland has the ideal mix of resources to produce green ammonia for both its own domestic use and for global distribution.

Throughout history, Finns have used their resourcefulness to survive some of the harshest circumstances. When life looked bleak, they turned to nature for sources of inspiration, sustenance and energy.

Only a few years ago, Finland was known mostly as a country living from the forests with its world-class pulp and paper manufacturing, machinery and wood-based products. Now facing climate change and the energy crisis, Finland is ready to leap ahead in another sector – producing green ammonia for its own self-sufficiency and to share with other markets globally.

The most critical resource needed is electricity from a renewable source

Finland has been lavishly endowed with all the natural resources it takes to produce carbon-free green ammonia that can be further used mainly as the essential ingredient in fertilizers, marine vessel fuel or a hydrogen carrier. The most important one is electricity from a renewable source.

Finland is currently in the process of building up its offshore and onshore wind power production in the region of North Ostrobothnia, thanks to the region’s excellent wind conditions. Today, there are approximately 80 wind power projects at different planning and permitting stages in this area alone – with strong connections for transmitting electricity to the national grid.

Onshore wind in Finland has been experiencing explosive growth in 2022, driving the green energy transition. In the coming years, wind power will more than double from the current 3.8 GW to 9 GW. By 2027, wind power will have even surpassed the amount of nuclear power produced in the country.

Finland also has plenty of water – another essential natural raw material for producing green hydrogen and green ammonia – and sufficient land for ports from which ships can be loaded and unloaded. From a logistics point of view, the country can be considered an island – fully dependent on exports and imports. Yet, that same reason makes Finland’s use of shipping a key security factor for its national welfare.

Three growing ammonia markets

First, ammonia (NH₃) is used for agricultural food production. Ammonia has always had an essential role in the agricultural industry in the production of fertilizers. It releases nitrogen as a nutrient for plants, crops and lawns. At the moment, 80% of all ammonia is used to produce fertilizer.

Second, ammonia is expected to soon be used as marine fuel for deep-sea vessels, cargo ships and tankers. This may happen faster than expected since Elomatic has already designed several ammonia-fueled ships destined for Japan. Such a green ammonia application also enables Finland to break away from its island-like status and become independent in the production of marine energy.

Third is to use ammonia as a hydrogen carrier. Combining hydrogen with nitrogen forms ammonia, which unlike hydrogen can be efficiently transported in large volumes over long distances, after which it can be returned to hydrogen gas again. For example, Central Europe has arranged to buy ammonia from Canada and the United States for this purpose.

Ammonia can also be used to produce industrial urea products, manufacture textile dyes and recover carbon dioxide. Forecasts in market demand for existing and new ammonia will double or even triple in the next few years. Fertilizer demand is estimated to grow fastest, but marine fuel demand will also grow roughly twofold. Demand for ammonia as an energy carrier is estimated to increase at a similar pace.

Finland’s abundance of clean water, favorable wind power conditions and an ambitious roadmap to build twice the total capacity of the country’s current electricity production make it eligible to spearhead the green hydrogen economy.

Zero CO₂ emissions – the great advantage of green ammonia

Surprisingly as it sounds, fetid ammonia is considered to be one of the fastest routes to a carbon-neutral Europe. Green ammonia is also the closest to compete pricewise with any synthetic fuel.

Grey ammonia production is based on natural gas, while future green ammonia production eliminates methane completely. The only inputs needed for ammonia synthesis are water and green electricity for electrolysis. And the only emission is excess heat, oxygen and clean water. Electrolyzing water dissociates H₂O molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Once nitrogen is added to green hydrogen, it can then be converted into green ammonia, which is ready for further processing.

Green ammonia, like green hydrogen, emits no CO₂ in its production process. It is capable of storing energy economically for long periods without any energy losses. Its stored energy can be transported over long distances without significant losses. It is far cheaper to store than hydrogen and takes up about half the space.

Self-sufficiency for Finland

Finland now has the opportunity to proactively build a market for hydrogen as a raw material that can be further refined to create a Finnish gross domestic product. This is the start to a sustainable green transition that will increase the national economy and create new jobs.

The idea that Finland no longer needs to import ammonia from abroad but can instead produce sufficient amounts of ammonia from its own green resources is a promising opportunity to improve the reliability of food production.

The vision is to shift the industry from the countries that currently export natural gas, like Russia, China, the US and India, to countries where green electricity is available, so that green hydrogen or its derivative green ammonia can be produced from it. And Finland has what it takes for such a transition.

Putting potential electricity production capacity to good use

With Finland’s renewable energy resources and abundance of water, producing green hydrogen is one application that is worthwhile to pursue. The process of making green hydrogen needs a lot of electricity and can be flexibly operated within Finland’s strong and stable electricity market. In that sense, the most efficient is to situate production close to the wind power farms.

Areas such as North Ostrobothnia or the Åland Islands at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea are interesting for hydrogen production where they can also take advantage of the natural cyclicality of wind power generation. Thus, hydrogen production increases when more wind blows and especially when the electricity is not needed elsewhere.

Finland’s advantages also include predictable regulations. To limit safety risks, a closed process is used to produce both green hydrogen and green ammonia. Environmental safety authorities in Finland issue permits, supervise operations and collaborate closely to ensure that green ammonia will be a safe and reliable source of carbon-free energy for the future.

As long as green hydrogen has good potential to replace natural gas applications, it is perfect timing for Finland to create a hydrogen market of its own.

Global green ammonia opportunities ahead

Finland’s green ammonia market can easily be made available to all other countries that need additional green ammonia resources. Most of the EU is already very familiar with the benefits of green ammonia. The EU aims to wean its demand off Russian natural gas and make the switch to green hydrogen, where the ammonia serves as its transport carrier between continents. So, why not consider green ammonia from Finland?

As ships power the Finnish market, they are ready to go. Offshore wind farm cables will come to shore close to production facilities and shipping ports. When the country’s first green ammonia facilities are ready in approximately four years, green ammonia can be shipped abroad.

Green ammonia can just as easily be shipped from the port of Naantali to Helsinki as it can across the Atlantic or to almost any other port, since shipping costs are a minor share of the total costs.

Start for two-way potential

 To tackle climate change, break away from dependence on Russian natural gas and offer something of value to other countries globally, Finns can take pride of looking at their own natural resources as a starting point.

Finland’s abundance of clean water, favorable wind power conditions and an ambitious roadmap to build twice the total capacity of the country’s current electricity production make it eligible to spearhead the green hydrogen economy. Its further refining potential can bring huge benefits to Finland’s national economy, while simultaneously enables the country to spread the advantages of the green hydrogen economy to other regions.

 Soon, the results of Finland’s natural resource synergies will be ready to roll out to the world.

Energy crisis or growing pains?

The options for solving the energy crisis have been known for a long time – now the actual solving of the issues should take priority. In Finland, the forest industry produces a large portion of the renewable energy, but also uses a lot of energy just the same. Our special characteristics also include our district heating network that enables the large-scale distribution of heat from different sources. We need investments in things such as promotion of the circular economy and storing of energy.

In the last few months, the headlines have been dominated by the energy crisis. However, according to one definition, a crisis is a new situation or turning point encountered by a human or organization wherein the learned problem-solving skills may not work anymore. In the big picture, the situation in the energy market does not really correspond to this definition of a crisis.

The system built on fossil fuels is, despite everything, approaching the end of its life. The inevitable progress has just been forced to leap forward, which naturally causes more sudden growing pains than a controlled change would. However, the direction of the long-term development is not changing.

A clear consensus of needs and means has prevailed for a long time

Naturally, the price of energy is an issue for many households, companies and communities, to put it mildly. But the proposed solutions, such as investment in energy and resource efficiency and renewable energy, have been known to us for at least a decade. Ensuring our survival does not require doing anything new or surprising.

The private persons, communities, companies and states that have taken action in a frontloading manner may escape the crisis completely. The seed of a much more severe crisis lies in the continuous use of fossil fuels.

Finland has strived for a quick change

The path of the EU and Finland towards carbon neutrality has been presented in both the general roadmap of the EU and the roadmap of Finland. The EU strives to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, whereas the objectives of Finland are considerably more ambitious: our country wants to be carbon neutral by 2035. Countries such as Japan and China have also presented their own targets.

In any scenario, achieving these targets would have required actions that would be painful to at least some parties. Now we have a taste of the things to come, because we have had to take action in one fell swoop. The list of necessary actions remains massively long, and implementing the plans will not be easy.

The energy system of Finland is affected by whether the forest industry will start utilizing its side streams for purposes other than energy production, which will require compensatory energy production.

Long-term roadmaps often include perspective issues

When a target is set far enough into the future, there is no need to take unpleasant action in the current parliamentary term – in other words, now. The carbon neutrality of Finland or even the EU will not solve the global climate issues, if the additional production demanded by growth and the emissions related to it are outsourced. The bond between economic growth, consumption, and energy consumption is yet to be severed, which is part of the problem.

In addition to achieving zero-emission energy production, another essential task is building a circular economy that is both extensive and energy efficient. The benefits and disadvantages of the circular economy are largely determined through the energy consumption of the cycle processes and the disadvantages of the related energy production. Transparent and comprehensive lifecycle reporting must be developed to verify these factors and, of course, the benefits of a circular economy.

Finland currently utilizes wood-based biomass extensively

Every country and economic community has its own characteristics related to its regional energy systems. The special characteristics of Finland include the large amount of wood-based biomass it has in relation to its population, its forest industry that uses the biomass efficiently, and its district heating network to which I will return later.

The biomass reserves of Finland make the large-scale production of wood-based renewable energy possible. Of course, in political decision-making the degree of renewability depends on the agreed approaches and definitions. Biomass will possibly be defined in the EU region as renewable energy, which is an issue for the system in Finland.

Impact of forest industry is evident in both production and consumption

At the moment, the forest industry produces a considerable portion of the renewable energy in Finland, but the industry also uses a lot of energy. The forest industry participates in things such as frequency management and the reserve market, and is thus an essential operator in the Finnish energy system.

The processes and logistics that enable the efficient utilization of forest biomass have found their current forms through centuries of development. The forest industry has, throughout its history, survived many upheavals, such as the end of tar use and the crash in the demand for magazine paper. It will also survive the current crisis, and it will not only survive; it will be part of the fossil-free solution.

Side streams will continue to have a key role

At the moment, the energy production of the forest industry is largely based on burning unutilized side streams, such as lignin. Therefore, the energy system of Finland is affected by whether the forest industry will start utilizing its side streams for purposes other than energy production, which will require compensatory energy production. For example, the demand for heat pump solutions that are based on the utilization of waste heat might increase. In the future, we may see solutions such as small nuclear power reactors to generate heat.

The interest in utilizing side streams in the manufacture of physical products may come, for example, through EU regulation or as new innovations and products of a better level of added value become viable options. This will make using biomass for energy less appealing.

However, it is unrealistic to assume that the burning of side streams would cease completely, at least in the near future. The products or markets in which these raw materials could be utilized do not exist on a large enough scale.

The introduction of the circular economy must be accelerated as part of sustainable economic growth. The investments to be made in it will bear fruit in the future.

District heating network increases flexibility of energy system

The more urban Finland becomes, the larger is the part of the Finnish population living in an area covered by the district heating network. The district heating network enables the large-scale distribution and utilization of heat from multiple sources. The already utilized sources of waste heat include

• waste heat of industry
• heat from wastewater
• waste heat of data centers.

The district heating network also enables things such as the production and distribution of geothermal energy, which is practical in comparison to individual geothermal wells. The benefits of a good network also include an increasingly flexible energy system, when energy can be stored cost-effectively on a large scale.

Storing of energy is worth the effort

Preparing for the increasing need to store energy is a smart move. As long as the production profile of the industrial plant allows, effort should be made to store energy or to direct the use to occur at night. Cheap electricity can also be stored in heat accumulators and discharged as process steam, for example.

The optimized storing and flexible use of energy require a good understanding of the future consumption in relation to the price of energy, now and in the following hours or days. The prediction of short-term consumption requires the process to have reliable energy indicators, and, furthermore, the data produced must be adjusted and utilized in energy price data and forecasts.

“Zero waste” thinking is also required

The introduction of the circular economy must be accelerated as part of sustainable economic growth. The investments to be made in it will bear fruit in the future, similar to the way the investments made in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the past are now being rewarded.

The lifecycle calculations striving to verify the benefits, such as carbon footprint analyses and carbon handprint analyses, will become mandatory, because the consumers and financiers know to demand them. This is why companies should immediately develop their calculation and reporting methods. The entity related to energy and material flows must be rethought, which will challenge the benefit and disadvantage assessments and business models and make them more complex.

Introduction of unimplemented energy efficiency actions

On reflection, the solution to the present problems is to take the same actions that were supposed to be taken before the crisis. It is crucial to utilize the opportunities to optimize energy use so that the specific energy consumption required by the growth is as small as possible, leading to the investments in carbon neutral energy production remaining similarly as light as possible.

As someone who has spent almost their entire career working with energy efficiency, I know that the world is lamentably full of energy efficiency actions that are clearly recommended but still unimplemented. It is certain that our current standard of well-being could also be achieved at reduced energy consumption.

Can carbon neutrality be achieved in food production?

In response to climate change, we must quickly decrease the amounts of fossil fuel and food production greenhouse emissions, while simultaneously promoting the sequestration of carbon dioxide in ecosystems. The development of biotechnology, automatic control systems and artificial intelligence accelerate the transition to more sustainable primary production of food when fields and productive livestock can be replaced with, for example, microbes and bioreactors. However, we also need approaches with a more immediate impact. Investments in renewable energy play a key role.

The climate has already warmed an average of 1.1 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era, and the temperature is still climbing year after year. Carbon dioxide has been calculated to have caused two thirds of the warming until now. In addition to warming, the entire climate system is undergoing changes and extreme weather is becoming more common: some places receive too much rain, while others suffer increasingly from drought. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, rain affects food production capacity and people’s living conditions more than the temperature alone: by 2100, the amount of rain will have increased a good 30% during winter in Finland and about 10% during the summer, when compared to the current day.

Globally, the greenhouse gas emissions of the food production systems of agriculture have increased by about a third over the last 20 years. Emissions are primarily a result of plant and animal production increase to meet the needs of a growing population, which in turn increases the use of fertilizers (nitrogen), the amounts of manure and pastures, the use of fuels in domestic animal production, and the production of gases from the digestive processes of ruminants.

Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions have started to decrease in accordance with targets, although they vary a little from year to year. The food industry in Finland causes relatively few direct emissions, as the biggest sources of emissions are made up of indirect sources – from primary production and energy production. The agriculture sector’s share of Finland’s total greenhouse gas emissions has been about 10–14% over the last few years.

Carbon footprint of food products in Finland (Source: ETL)

Sustainable food production value chains are based on renewable energy

Different countries have mapped out different kinds of strategic paths for achieving carbon neutrality, but due to the diversity and dependencies of systems, reducing carbon emissions to a net zero remains challenging. In addition to radical changing in our eating habits and food waste amounts, we also need innovative new technologies and solutions based on multidisciplinary research.

One of the most important and efficient ways of achieving carbon neutrality is to make use of clean energy from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydropower. All in all, new innovative technologies – which are designed to speed up the transition to carbon neutrality in different sectors – offer solutions for the restoration of forests and seas, the protection of ecosystems, carbon-neutral industrial production, and sustainable food production. This increases the sequestration of carbon in the soil as well as reduces carbon emissions.

Food production must be optimized in order to increase production efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions. This can be achieved through, among other things, new technologies developed for more sustainable production of fertilizers, solutions for precision agriculture, improved feeding, and the creation of carbon-neutral food production systems.

In addition to minimizing emissions and increasing efficiency, technologies and methods for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through industrial means, and sequestering carbon in soil and marine ecosystems (sequestration) are vital. Out of these developing NETs, that is, negative emissions technologies, the ones currently showing the most potential are bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), biochar (PyCCS, pyrogenic carbon capture and storage) and direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS). In Finland, BECCS and biochar offer the most potential for negative emissions.

Reducing harm from farming with new technologies

Optimizing the use of fertilizers and water on arable land can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in crop farming systems with the help of digital, drone, and sensor technologies. In addition, new synthetic nitrogen fertilizers which release nutrients in a slow and controlled manner are being developed, as are new varieties which use nitrogen more effectively and have characteristics which inhibit emissions. As part of the solution, the production of biomass must be increased through the means of forestry, cultivation of meadows and carbon farming, among others. In addition, carbon dioxide must overall be removed and sequestered from the atmosphere through various methods and stored back in soil and marine ecosystems.

The manipulation of enteric fermentation in animal production is one of the key ways to reduce the methane emissions of ruminants. So-called methane inhibitors are being developed by affecting an animal’s metabolism through precise nutrients and more easily digestible kinds of feed. Also, new innovations and start-ups are popping up, such as Finnish Origin by Ocean. The company refines blue-green algae and bladderwrack into bio-based ingredient that is suitable, for example, for compound feed with significant lower animal emissions.

Manure processing practices could also significantly reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing the management of pastures and producing energy (biogas) and organic fertilizers at the farm, with low emission factors. According to the research of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (2020), among others, in the field use of recycled fertilizers, organic fertilizers have lower nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions when compared to the N₂O emissions of mineral fertilizers.

One new technology is the vertical plant factory, that is, a vertical indoor cultivation system, which enables continuous food production throughout the year regardless of the season or weather. All environmental parameters, such as lighting level, temperature, humidity, and air composition, are controlled in a smart, closed system. New testing facilities verify the viability of mass production, and full-scale factories have been built for the commercial production of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants.

Vertical indoor cultivation systems can help achieve very high productivity and low greenhouse gas emissions with small changes in land use when compared to traditional production systems. The environmental impacts of operations can be minimized by using renewable energy to run the factory.

Biotechnological pilot and demo facilities are already being built, where nutrient protein will be produced with the help of microbes and even the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air. One of the most famous projects is SolarFoods’ “Food without fields and food from thin air” project, which uses carbon dioxide as a raw material.

Transition to cellular agriculture leads to significant environmental benefits

There is demand for feeding a growing population with the help of innovative and low-emission technologies. The development of biotechnology, automatic control systems, and even artificial intelligence enables more sustainable primary production of food in a factory environment. This is cellular agriculture, where microbes and bioreactors replace fields and productive livestock.

According to the surveys of Boston Consulting Group, the transition to edible plant, microbe, and animal cell-based protein products instead of beef, pork, chicken, and egg alternatives will save more than one gigaton of CO₂ equivalent by 2035, which is roughly equal to the annual emissions of Japan. In addition, there are potential savings in land use and water consumption: it is estimated that by 2035, they will equal the water consumption of London over a period of 40 years! This assumes that alternative proteins will represent an 11–22% share of the protein market in 2035, depending on the scenario.

Tempeh and tofu are traditional plant-based, meat-like proteins, which are made from soy, peas, and beans. During production, proteins are extracted and separated from the plants or fungus, which are then formulated and processed. The taste and structure of plant-based meat is improved through food additives and extrusion, as well as innovative technologies such as high-temperature shear cell technology and 3D printing.

Challenges in the further development of these protein products are caused by cultivar development with regards to taste and color, protein separation technologies, clear formulation, and expensive large-scale extrusion. There is also a need for efficiency when it comes to costs, as the prices of the products in question are nearly double that of traditional meat products.

Pioneers: nutrient protein can be produced from air

Bacteria, yeasts, molds, and single-celled algae also produce edible microbe-based proteins, as do certain aforementioned microbe populations, when proteins are fermented with cellular agriculture technology in a carbohydrate-rich solution. Depending on the method, the result is either a meat substitute – protein and biomass – or pure single-cell protein.

Quorn is one such microbe-based protein product, which was developed in England and has been commercially available since 1993. All in all, there is still plenty of development to be done with regards to these products. Their costs are three times that of traditional protein, particularly when it comes to the production of single-cell protein. Finding more cost-effective growth solutions and the development of separation technology are also highlighted in the further development of these protein products.

In addition, biotechnological pilot and demo facilities are already being built, where nutrient protein will be produced with the help of microbes and even the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air. One of the most famous projects is SolarFoods’ “Food without fields and food from thin air” project, which uses carbon dioxide as a raw material. The microbe is isolated from the sediment of Western Finland’s seashore, which produces a soy protein-like powder for food products and nutrient supplements. All that is needed is electricity, carbon dioxide, and a source of nitrogen. According to the company, the pilot phase has shown that environmental impacts remain well under 10 per cent of that of traditionally produced plant or animal protein.

A third alternative source of protein is animal and crustacean cell-based protein products, which are produced by directly growing animal cells in a nutrient-rich solution in tanks. According to surveys by the Boston Consulting Group, the development of these alternative proteins will still take time in order for growing proteins to become efficient, as well as for the taste and structure to match traditionally produced alternatives in the volumes needed for global consumption.

Developing innovations for waste and packaging challenges as well

Solutions are also being created for the global waste problem. The thermochemical transformation of solid organic waste into porous biochar (300°C–900°C anaerobically) is part of circular economy and mitigating climate change, in addition to sequestering carbon. In soil improvement and composting use, biochar has been shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biochar is a natural adsorbent which binds free carbon and nitrogen compounds to itself, as well as different kinds of impurities. In addition, biochar has been shown to slow down and prevent erosion and even reduce the formation of methane in ruminants as part of animal feed.

For an interesting case of current development investments, I highlight the production of products and raw materials of fossil origin using bio-based and renewable materials. For example, bacteria can use organic materials as a source of nutrients and change fatty acids, sugars, and proteins, among others, into different kinds of monomers and materials suitable for the production of biopolymers. These can be used as ingredients in food products, in packaging materials and, more broadly, in the industrial production of plastics, bio-based fuels, lubricants, medical equipment, and other valuable goods.

The starting point for success is cooperation with other operators, such as primary production, logistics, and the energy and construction industries.

Target of 75% reduction in greenhouse emissions

In the roadmap created by the Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation and coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in 2020, the readiness of the food production sector for carbon neutrality was mapped out. According to the surveys, Finland is well equipped to pursue carbon neutrality. National legislation, funding and incentive systems, and a high level of technology enable the majority of the viable technologies determined by the EU (BAT conclusions of the industrial emissions directive) to already be extensively in use in the businesses of the food industry, according to the roadmap work.

The roadmap’s survey of the current situation ensures a clear basis for systematic and long-term work to promote the climate measures of the food industry by 2035. The aim of the roadmap is thus to achieve a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in proportion to sales at the industry level. In 2035, low-carbon solutions should be widely in use in the food production sector and climate impacts should be under control in the sector’s value chain.

What does this mean in practice? The starting point for success is cooperation with other operators, such as primary production, logistics, and the energy and construction industries. In this value chain, the role of the food industry is:

1. to invest further in increasing energy efficiency (10–30% savings in energy consumption in several businesses are possible)
2. to look into and implement switching the mode of production of delivered energy to an alternative with lower emissions and/or plan the electrification of operations
3. to develop raw materials and packaging to reduce fossil emissions
4. to reduce loss and waste and use the side streams of own operations and value chain more efficiently.

In order for these objectives and measures to be fulfilled, more open sharing of information in cooperation with other operators in the value chain is necessary for the identification of key impacts on a value chain and product basis. In addition, the availability of carbon-neutral energy, the development of technologies and expertise, and sufficient forms of support and funding from the government in a predictable operating environment must be ensured. This in turn enables the necessary investments in the sector for carbon neutrality.

New fiber from textile waste – Elomatic helps Infinited Fiber Company in their important mission

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology is globally unique. Thanks to it, textile waste can be transformed into high-quality fiber for the use in the textile industry. Elomatic has played a key role in building and developing the pilot production, and now the companies will continue their cooperation within Infinited Fiber Company’s factory project in Kemi.

Did you know that every second, a truckload of textile waste ends up either delivered to a landfill or to be burned?* Infinited Fiber Company offers a solution to this: their patented technology allows transforming textile waste into new, cotton-like textile fiber that can be used to make hoodies, jeans, shirts and dresses. Many big global brands like adidas, H&M and Tommy Hilfiger already sell clothes made from this fiber.

Infinited Fiber operates currently in pilot production scale. A production plant is planned to be built in Kemi, and the implementation phase will start in late 2023, followed by an approximately two-year project before the plant can be commissioned.

Backed by revolutionary technology

Infinited Fiber Company’s success is based on a technology whose development started decades ago. The main benefit of the technology is that cotton-rich recycled textiles can be used as the raw material for cellulose carbamate. The company was established in 2016 to commercialize this invention.

Regulation has also helped the company to thrive. The European Commission made collecting textile waste mandatory by the year 2025 and in Finland separate collection of textile waste will start already at the beginning of 2023. Naturally, the collected textiles must be put to use, and Infinited Fiber Company’s solution is a prime example of this.

Elomatic has been a world-class trusted partner for Infinited Fiber Company

Elomatic has played a key role in building and developing Infinited Fiber Company’s pilot plants. For example, the company has helped in choosing the equipment for various parts of the process and consulted on how to best combine them. Over the years, the cooperation has expanded to the conceptual and basic design of the Kemi plant.

Elomatic’s first commission was conceptual design of a carbamate line in Jyväskylä. Elomatic already had previous experience in carbamation equipment.

– Carbamation is a key part of our process. If we did not have a world-class partner in that area, we would not be able to create value for our own customers, says Petri Alava, CEO and co-founder of Infinited Fiber Company.

“Elomatic’s desire to be an active participant in creating something new has been very significant. That is key in supporting sustainable development and solving global challenges.”

Elomatic’s experience has shown

Elomatic has several decades of experience from the process industry. According to Tero Taipale, COO of Infinited Fiber Company, this has proven to be tremendously useful along the way.

– We have found good equipment solutions. Identifying all of them by ourselves would have been a difficult process, says Taipale.

Taipale also commends Elomatic’s flexible and solution-oriented approach to work as well as the company’s versatile expertise, especially in bio product and chemical equipment technology. Elomatic’s Project Manager Heikki Pirilä says that Elomatic’s team has been able to solve all the development issues Infinited Fiber Company has brought up.

– This is new technology, after all, and we have had to understand what is important and then identify suitable solutions, he says.

 The two companies are joined by their will to create something new

Infinited Fiber Company aims for the global market and intends to license their technology to other companies. Fiber is being produced for commercial sale already during the pilot phase.

– We have always been able to trust in Elomatic’s professionalism and everything has run precisely and smoothly, says Taipale, summing up.

According to Taipale, Elomatic’s desire to be an active participant in creating something new has been very significant. That is key in supporting sustainable development and solving global challenges.

Pirilä is excited to continue in the project.

– This is entirely new on a global scale and I am very excited to get to manage this project on Elomatic’s behalf, he says.

*Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new textiles economy: redesigning fashion’s future, 2017

Elomatic helped VTT scale up a bio-based solution to replace packaging plastic

A transparent cellulose film, developed by VTT, is a more environmentally friendly option for plastic. It will help solve various plastic-related challenges. Elomatic played a big role in the development of the solution by creating the test machine line needed for manufacturing.

In addition to protective properties, it is important that packaging material allows the consumer to see the product. The transparent film developed by VTT makes use of recrystallized cellulose. This is a significant solution as it allows replacing packaging plastic produced using fossil raw materials.

The film can be used for a variety of purposes, such as replacing plastic films and cling films. It is easy to recycle because it is made of cellulose and as such it can be sorted together with cardboard. The solution can be put into widespread industrial use within 5–7 years.

Elomatic’s expertise made the solution feasible

A reliable partner was needed to create the machine line needed for manufacturing the film. The search was not difficult, as VTT has a long history with Elomatic. Over the years, the companies have created a way of working that suits both parties.

– We start peeling the onion layer by layer, identifying the best combination of different possible solutions. In other words, we do not just select a solution and then stick to come what may, but rather throughout the project we continually consider what is the best way to do the task at hand, says Ali Harlin, Research Professor at VTT.

– For this project, we created a virtual design team in cooperation with Elomatic. This was not the usual client-supplier relationship, but instead we solved various challenges collaboratively, he says.

Experts from various fields participated in the project

The starting point was a paper drawn by VTT that used a few simple shapes to outline the phases that the machine line needed to have. VTT had an idea on what they needed and Elomatic was responsible for coming up with the required machinery solutions.

One of Elomatic’s key advantages is having a variety of designers: not only mechanical designers but also calculation and process experts as well as people from the fields of electricity, instrumentation, automation and visualization.

– Our strength is being able to manage a variety of projects, in addition to designing. This was a typical EPCM project, where we managed as many aspects of the project as possible on the customer’s behalf: we requested tenders from machine shops, compared them and presented options on where to order different items from, says Vesa Suoranta, Project Manager for Elomatic.

“VTT had understood the significance of having a concept and engaging in preliminary design. We also made use of 3D models in preliminary design and only then proceeded to more detailed design.”

A surprise in starting up the machine line

The project progressed well and VTT commended Elomatic at several points. One phase that the project team remembers especially clearly is starting up the machine line, which succeeded on the first try.

– Usually, when you start up a machine for the first time, something will go wrong, but this time that did not happen, Harlin recalls.

The project focused on functionality from the outset and relied heavily on testing. The user participated in the assembly throughout and errors were anticipated from the beginning.

– It was a striking moment for myself too, when I saw the product coming out the machine and our work came full circle, says Suoranta.

Preliminary design was key for the project’s success

Suoranta feels the project was a success in all areas. He highlights how well VTT had understood the significance of having a concept and engaging in preliminary design.

Harlin says having modern design tools at their disposal helped a lot. For example, they utilized augmented reality to see what the final solution would look like already at an early stage.

– We also made use of 3D models in preliminary design and only then proceeded to more detailed design, further specifying the model and creating the final schematics. Otherwise, we may not have been able to fulfill all of VTT’s wishes, Suoranta adds.

A successful project was built on trust

Suoranta feels that commitment to the project by VTT’s management was of key importance for the success of the project. And the cooperation running smoothly was not insignificant either. The project group met with VTT’s researchers as often as once per week.

– Working with people from VTT was pleasant. They understand the need for consideration in this kind of work and that the solution does not just appear all of a sudden, says Suoranta.

Harlin agrees on the cooperation going well.

– We worked in a good and professional atmosphere. Throughout the project we could trust in being able see the project through.

Vaasan Sähkö has commissioned Elomatic to design and project manage a future heat pump plant

Vaasan Sähkö will have a plant built at the Pått wastewater treatment plant to recover waste heat from treated wastewater. The heat will be fed into the district heating network, where it will be sufficient to meet the needs of almost 2,000 private homes. Elomatic is responsible for the entire project, from the planning and procurement phase to construction management and commissioning. The project has gotten off to a good start, and the pieces have fallen into place for seamless cooperation.

Vaasan Sähkö’s heat pump plant is a great example of the circular economy: one investment that utilizes waste heat equivalent to the annual heating energy of all the private homes in Vaasan Sähkö’s district heating network.

Elomatic has designed heat pump plants before, especially for industrial applications. However, this is the largest overall project. Interest in similar projects has clearly increased, and Elomatic is currently working on the concept design of another similar solution.

– Heat pumps have developed so rapidly in recent years that this kind of heat recovery has become profitable, says Anne Kujanpää, Project Manager at Elomatic.

In cities, district heating is the fastest way to move to a zero-emission era

The Pått wastewater treatment plant treats wastewater from the entire city of Vaasa and part of the wastewater from the neighboring municipalities of Mustasaari and Maalahti. The waste heat from the treated water is fed into the district heating network.

“It is better to invest in one efficient heat pump system instead of forcing a couple of thousand single-family home owners in our region to switch their heating to zero emissions themselves,” says Juha-Matti Karvala, Project Manager at Vaasan Sähkö.

According to Karvala, the district heating network serves as a platform for a circular economy, and the Pått heat pump plant is a good example.

“Heat recovery is definitely the way of the future,” Kujanpää adds.

Elomatic brings a wide range of expertise to the project

The project, which started in early 2022, is now in the contracting phase. Elomatic is the EPCM supplier for the project, which means that in addition to design and procurement, it is responsible for construction management and commissioning.

“This is a major project for Vaasan Sähkö and EPCM’s implementation is a good fit, as we want to be involved in the project throughout its life cycle,” says Karvala.

“In addition to extensive planning expertise, supervision and coordination, Elomatic will provide us with up-to-date reporting on the overall progress of the project, including forecasts and necessary decisions,” he continues.

Elomatic’s solid experience shows

At Elomatic, the aim is always to select the project team such a way that the expertise of each individual is utilized in the best possible way. Most of the designers involved in the project have experience in industrial projects over a longer period of time. Some have been involved in heat pump projects before.

“Yes, it shows that the designers are experienced. The most important thing is that they are able to carry out their work to a high standard within their own experience and that information is passed between different locations,” Kujanpää says.

“When cooperation is smooth, the work is a pleasure”

The project is well on schedule, and construction is expected to start in October 2022.

“Our cooperation has been great, and Elomatic has managed the whole thing smoothly,” says Karvala.

“Vaasan Sähkö has a team of experts involved who have put a lot of effort into the project. We have managed to get things done together in a really good team spirit,” says Kujanpää.

Kujanpää stresses the importance of people enjoying their work and a good and open atmosphere.

“Good communication, both within the project team and with the client, helps to achieve a good outcome in all respects,” she says.

About the project

What: Waste heat recovery from treated wastewater
Price: approx. EUR 11 million
Grant: EUR 1.9 million investment grant from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Energy: 50–60 gigawatt hours (GWh) of heat/year
Planned commissioning: end of 2023