BIOREFINERIES: PULP INDUSTRY 2.0
Authors: Jurgen Poesche1 and Kari Lilja2
1 Aalto University, School of Science, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, jurgen.poesche@aalto.fi
2 Aalto University, School of Business, Department of Management Studies, kari.lilja@aalto.fi
O PAPEL vol. 80, num. 09, pp. 90 - 97 - SEP 2019
ABSTRACT
The biorefinery concept ushers in radical change in
the chemical pulp industry. Instead of being part of one
value chain, the adoption of the biorefining will make
the traditional chemical pulp industry part of several
value chains and a facilitator in a wide range of business
ecosystems. The raw material used in biorefineries allows for
the development and production of numerous biochemicals
and biomaterials. For the transformation from chemical
pulping to biorefining, revolutionary process and product
innovations are necessary. To make it happen, absorptive
capacity is needed among the actors. Production operations
and management become more complex creating the
potential for conflict of interests in and between business
ecosystems. As the transformation towards biorefining
is based on innovation, there is also a need to obtain
intellectual property rights. The contribution of this paper
is that it identifies the challenges and business potential in
the transformation from chemical pulping to biorefining.
As the transformation process is at an early stage, scenarios
for the future are constructed from the experiences of a few
frontline operations. They give indications regarding future
value added products-based business models, in addition
to the traditional pulp business, and about becoming a core
actor in many multi-sector research and business ecosystems.
Keywords: Biorefining; Industry Transformation; Microand
Nanocellulose; Innovation; Intellectual Property
Corresponding author: Kari Lilja - Aalto University, School of Business, Department of Management Studies, kari.lilja@aalto.fi