(219e) Techno-Economic Analysis of Carbon Capture and Storage in the Pulp and Paper Industry Integrated with Nuclear Heat

The pulp and paper (P&P) industry, the largest biomass consumer for heat and power production in the United States, emits approximately 150 million tons of CO2 annually. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies can be implemented to mitigate these emissions. Among CCS technologies, amine-based systems are the most mature but are highly energy-intensive. Nuclear energy offers a reliable and sustainable energy source to power CCS operations, supporting the goal of reducing emissions. This study evaluates the economic feasibility of integrating Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMNRs) to power amine-based CCS systems in various types of pulp and paper mills. Detailed WinGEMS simulations were conducted to analyze mass-energy balances for mills with an annual product capacity of 500,000 metric tons, including a Southern Bleached Softwood Kraft (SBSK) mill, an Unbleached Softwood Kraft (UBSK) mill, and a typical recycling mill in the southeastern United States. Seven scenarios for SMNR integration were assessed: four in kraft mills and three in recycling mills. The results indicate that two 200 MW-thermal (MWth) SMNR modules are sufficient to meet the steam and power demands for CCS integration and natural gas boiler decommissioning at the SBSK mill, while one 200 MWth module suffices for other mill types. Integrating nuclear heat and power into CCS systems at a typical kraft paper mill can reduce CO2 emissions by 91%, leaving the remaining 9% as primarily biogenic. Recycling mills powered by nuclear energy can achieve nearly zero emissions. Although integrating CCS and SMNRs can significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the P&P industry, the current cost of such systems is not competitive with other fuel options. This study provides an economic analysis of SMNR integration into combined heat and power systems at three paper mills and evaluates CCS costs under the 45Q Tax Credit incentive in the United States. Kraft paper mills in the US present substantial opportunities to transform the P&P industry into a carbon sink by capturing and sequestering biogenic carbon. As CCS deployment entails additional costs and energy demands, this research explores multiple nuclear-energy-powered CCS configurations and quantifies the costs needed to make nuclear energy competitive with natural gas-powered CCS without disrupting existing operations. The findings estimate the breakeven cost of nuclear power plant (NPP) steam required to establish a viable business case for deploying CCS technologies in the P&P industry. Furthermore, integrating SMNRs with CCS systems could also benefit other major CO2-emitting industries, such as cement, steel, and chemical manufacturing, by enabling similar reductions in emissions.