We can see growth and business opportunities in wind, bioenergy and biofuels. Rising demand for renewable and climate-friendly energy combined with the need for alternatives to fossil oil and gas provide us with good potential to make a further contribution to the energy transition – by providing and developing renewable energy.
Bioenergy for businesses
SCA’s extensive forest holdings and sawmill operations provide a stable, long-term supply of renewable by-products that can be used for energy generation. We offer both forest-based biofuels, such as logging residues and stemwood chips, and sawmill-based biofuels, including bark, sawdust, and pellets.
Secure a stable, long-term energy solution
A supply agreement provides long-term security for both fuel availability and pricing. It creates predictability for your operations and ensures that the agreed fuel volumes are delivered as planned.
SCA’s agreements are designed to provide a clear, shared understanding of the terms and conditions, creating a strong foundation for a long-term partnership.
Our biofuels
Forestry fuels are the by-products of harvesting operations that are used for energy production, such as logging residues (branches and tree tops) and fuelwood/stemwood chips. During debarking, sawing, cutting and planing in the sawmill industry, energy-rich materials are generated that are used as biofuels in both large and small heating plants. We refer to these as sawmill fuels.
The extraction of slash (branches and tops) is preceded by a so-called slash-adapted felling, where we place branches and tops in piles beside the harvester's tracks while the trees are being felled.
After the slash has dried for a summer at the clear-cut, it is transported to the roadside. The piles are covered with paper and chipped during the heating season.
We deliver slash to our customers, either in the form of chips or as loose slash (unchipped).
Drier volumes of slash chips and roadside clippings can be used to mix with wetter fuels to achieve better dry matter content.
Slash chips are used as fuel in larger boilers and work well in both grate and fluidized bed boilers.
Slash chips typically have a moisture content of about 35-50%, an energy value of approximately 2.5 MWh/ton, and an ash content of 1-2%.
Stemwood chips are chipped fuelwood – logs that cannot be processed at the sawmill or used in pulp production.
Stemwood chips are burned in both larger and smaller boiler plants. They are often mixed with, for example, bark volumes to help improve the dry matter content and provide better combustion.
The normal moisture content of stemwood chips is 40-50%, and the energy value is approximately 3 MWh/ton.
Forest fuels from roadside cutting. During cutting, the material is sorted, with the larger trees going to pulp production and the remaining becoming fuel.
Between 5-15% of a log's volume is bark. Debarking occurs at sawmills and pulp mills.
Due to its high moisture content, bark works best as fuel in boilers with an output of over 5 MW. Bark is suitable for both grate and fluidized bed boilers.
The moisture content of the bark varies depending on the season, but on average it is around 55%. The energy value is approximately 1.9 MWh/ton and the ash content is 1-3%.
Bark that falls off logs and pulpwood in storage areas is collected and processed.
The collected bark is mainly used for combustion in larger boiler facilities and as a fuel to mix with others.
The moisture content is between 55-65% and the energy value is approximately 1.7 MWh/ton.
Sawdust and chips are produced at sawmills when logs are sawn into planks and boards. SCA uses most of the sawdust volumes for pellet production at the facilities in Luleå and Härnösand. The moisture content is approximately 50%, the energy value is around 2.3 MWh/ton, and the ash content is 0.4-0.7%. The sawmill chips from SCA's sawmills are almost exclusively sent to pulp mills. The chips also have a moisture content of about 50%.
When dried and sawn planks and boards are cut to the desired length, trimming residues are produced. These are chipped, creating a fuel with a very high dry content.
Dry chips can be used as the sole fuel in smaller boilers under 2-3 MW, as a mix with wetter forest fuels, and as a raw material for pellet production.
Dry chips have a moisture content of only 12-14%. The energy value is around 4.5 MWh/ton and the ash content is 0.3-0.7%.
When dried timber is further processed through planing or milling, planer shavings are produced.
The planer shavings are mainly used as raw material for pellet production in Stugun and Rundvik.
Planer shavings typically have a moisture content of 10-13%, an energy value of approximately 4.5 MWh/ton, and an ash content of 0.3-0.4%.
FFP (Ready for the Boiler) consists of pre-blended fuel mixes tailored to the specific requirements of the boiler, such as the desired moisture content and particle size. By combining fuels such as bark, logging residues and stemwood chips, we can create a fuel mix that ensures smooth and stable combustion.
FFP is particularly well suited for facilities that lack the space or equipment needed to store and blend multiple fuel assortments on site.
We manufacture wood pellets from sawdust and planer shavings from the sawmills. When the sawdust is dried and pressed into pellets, it becomes a fuel with high energy value and consistent moisture content.
Wood pellets can be burned in stoves, residential burners, and large heating plants.
Energy value: at least 4.9 MWh/ton, less than 0.5% ash content, 7% moisture content.
By-products are generated during the sawmill process. These are recovered and used as renewable energy. First, the logs are debarked, and the bark is collected. When the logs are sawn, wood chips and sawdust are produced. During quality and length grading after drying, dry chips are generated. Planer shavings are then produced when the timber is planed. All of these products are part of SCA’s range of fuels.
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Get in touch with SCA Bioenergy for assistance with orders, deliveries, invoicing, and planning. Contact our customer service team by phone, email, or online form.
Sustainability to us
There is an urgent need to change our society – and we have a clear picture of how to achieve this. We see a transition, with an economy that works for both people and the environment. We see a transition to products that do not damage nature, but are instead part of the perpetual cycle. We see sustainable investments and innovations. The forest is showing the way to a fossil-free world in balance.