Södra to produce biobased methanol in Sweden

In Europe, international forestry group Södra has announced plans to produce biobased methanol from forest biomass at its mill in Mönsterås, Sweden. The company said construction will begin this fall, with production scheduled to begin during the spring of 2019.

In a statement, Södra indicated it plans to invest more than SEK 100 million ($12.62 million) in the project. The company also said the biobased methanol will be made from the crude methanol produced by the manufacturing process its pulp mill. 

Once operational, the facility is expected to have the capacity to produce 5,000 metric tons of biobased methanol annually.

“More and more people are realizing why we need to switch to fossil-free alternatives, but products must also move forward. We have access to the best and most renewable raw material available—forests,” said Catrin Gustavsson, senior vice president of innovation and new business at Södra. “We also have the industrial expertise required for these types of complex and innovative products.”

“If Sweden is to achieve the fossil-free climate targets, there must be viable alternatives to the fossil-fuel products that are currently available,” said Henrik Brodin, business developer for fuels at Södra. “This will be a major milestone in that development. It’s also in line with Södra’s own strategy to be totally fossil-free by 2030.”