Moscow, Dec 07, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Fortum joins the project of bio-oil-based alternative fuel development maintained by Metso, UPM and VTT companies since June 2009, as UPM Russia informed Lesprom Network. Metso’s research centre in Tampere, Finland, deals in production of high-quality bio-oil from chips and sawdust. The companies have developed a technology of producing bio-oil where reactor combined with circulation boiler is able to gasify hard biomass and then press it to liquid. In five months after the pilot project partners have improved bio-oil production process and increased its effectiveness. Over 20,000 tons of bio-oil has been already produced. As an alternative to heavy and light fuel oils, bio-oil decreases environmental pressure. Finnish developers of the technology constantly make corrections in renewable bio-oil production process. The company is sure that combining production of bio-oil with biomass-based power plants will give new business opportunities as well as positive effect on costs and efficiency. Agreement between the parties on producing bio-oil is effective till late 2010. Fortum company claimed to join the project and will perform a study on energy producers and product end users. ‘The long-term goal for Fortum is to become a company whose production activity does not entail carbon dioxide emissions. Using bio-oil, a carbon-neutral product, is a promising development direction’, Fortum’s Strategy Director Maria Paatero-Kaarnakari reports. Metso is responsible for developing technological process of pyrolysis reactor. Kari Kuukkanen, Metso’s Vice President Energy Business Technologies noticed that bio-oil is an alternative raw material for power plants as well as for chemicals and biodiesel production in the future. ‘We are planning to increase energy efficiency of the process even more’, Kuukkanen said. UPM brings its experience in using biomass as a raw material in the project. ‘Our goal is using all parts of the tree. Bark, stumps and small trees can be used effectively in production of liquid biofuel. UPM’s mills provide ideal infrastructure for developing production processes’, Petri Kukkonen, UPM’s Biofuel Director. Technology of producing bio-oil is based on patents obtained earlier by VTT company. On the testing stage VTT credits special attention to bio-oil quality control. In the long term, bio-oil generation technology will be also developed for a standard oil refinery. The projects are subsidized by European Union and Tekes – Finnish agency for financing technologies and innovations.