When biomethane is produced from biomass, large amounts of carbon dioxide are separated from the raw gas. For a long time, it has simply been released into the air. It has been a necessary part of the process with no value of its own.
Auris Energia’s Business Manager Håkan Jonsson sees a new opportunity here. “The same molecule that was released into the sky for decades is becoming an industrial raw material,” he says.
Biogenic carbon dioxide is not the same as fossil carbon dioxide
The carbon dioxide produced in biogas production is biogenic: it comes from carbon absorbed by plants as part of the natural carbon cycle. It is not fossil-based and does not increase the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the same way as conventional industrial emissions. That is why industry has begun to look at this carbon dioxide differently.
It has many uses. The food and beverage industry needs carbon dioxide in its processes. Greenhouses feed it to plants to support growth. The construction industry binds it permanently into concrete. New e-fuel value chains also need large amounts of carbon dioxide.
The circular economy is changing shape
Ten years ago, the circular economy was a value-laden concept. Companies set up circular-economy programmes, held workshops and published reports. Then the enthusiasm waned.
Håkan Jonsson has followed the energy sector for a long time and knows that solutions only take hold in the market when the economics work. He believes the circular economy will rise again, but for different reasons than before.
“Now it is driven by hard economic factors: price, security of supply and reducing dependencies. That speaks to management in these economically uncertain times. Ultimately, the circular economy works above all as a business model, and that is important to understand.”
Locally sourced carbon dioxide means a stable price and a short supply chain. It means less dependence on international markets. And in a geopolitical situation in which supply-chain vulnerabilities are on every company’s agenda, it also means security of supply.
The origin of carbon dioxide already matters to food producers and greenhouses
Carbon dioxide is nothing new to the food and beverage industry. It has been used for decades to carbonate drinks, as a protective gas in packaging and in production processes.
Greenhouses feed it to plants because carbon dioxide directly improves growing conditions and yields. Yet almost all of that carbon dioxide has come from fossil sources.
According to Jonsson, the question of where carbon dioxide comes from is being raised increasingly often.
“Companies are looking more closely at emissions across their entire value chain. When the origin of a raw material matters, biogenic carbon dioxide begins to look very different from the fossil alternative. In practice, pressure is already coming from customers, as large buyers increasingly require suppliers to provide information on value-chain emissions.”
Another driver is financial. Using biogenic carbon dioxide as a raw material can affect how a company is classified for green finance, and therefore the terms on which investments are financed.
“It is a question that also comes up increasingly often in financing discussions.”
Mäntsälä provides a model for future plants
Auris Energia is launching a project at its Mäntsälä biogas plant to capture, purify and supply for industrial use approximately 3,500 tonnes of biogenic carbon dioxide produced by the plant. The first agreement is with Carbonaide, which binds the carbon dioxide into its customers’ concrete products. Deliveries will begin in 2027.
Mäntsälä is not a one-off experiment. The planned EUR 50 million biogas project in Säkylä will produce four to five times as much biogenic carbon dioxide as the Mäntsälä plant.
Auris has applied to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment for support specifically for carbon dioxide capture at the Säkylä project. The available support schemes show that the public sector has also recognised this development.
“The range of applications is growing. Food-grade carbon dioxide requires a high degree of purification, but the technology exists and demand is rising.”
The market is taking shape now
Finland has a good starting point for this development. Its electricity prices are among the lowest in Europe, renewable energy production is strong, and the network of biogas plants is growing.
“I have seen many moments when something moves from the ‘interesting idea’ category to the ‘this is happening now’ category. Biogenic carbon dioxide is making that transition right now.”
If your company uses carbon dioxide in its processes, the origin of that raw material will matter increasingly.
“Mäntsälä is getting under way. The next sites are being planned. The market is taking shape right now—and this is the time to help build it, not to wait.”
If this topic is relevant to your business, Håkan is the right person to speak with. You can find him on LinkedIn or reach him by email at hakan.jonsson@aurisenergia.fi.