Significant Innovation to Improve Energy Efficiency at the Kaskinen Mill
For years, Lunawood’s Kaskinen Mill has been powered by a bio energy plant, but in 2021, it underwent a major modernization to increase capacity and enhance efficiency.
Vesa Virtanen, who oversees and monitors the operations of the bioenergy plant at Kaskinen, began observing the thermal modification process alongside energy consumption, driven by his personal interest. The Mill’s control room, equipped with modern technology, provided him with an excellent opportunity to do so.
Vesa’s key insight was to track the thermal modification process and energy consumption across different wood species and dimensions, where he noticed distinct trends and correlations. His analysis concluded that the Kaskinen Mill could achieve significant energy savings by adjusting the thermal modification cycles. However, it was essential that these adjustments did not compromise Lunawood’s product quality or substantially extend the overall processing time. Based on these observations, systematic tests were initially conducted on one thermal modification kiln, yielding very positive results. The testing was then extended to the other kilns and raw materials. Eventually, all four kilns were optimized, without affecting product quality or prolonging processing times.
Encouraged by these results, we plan to continue this development at our Iisalmi Mill, optimizing one kiln at a time. We believe the cumulative energy savings will help us reach our goal of reducing energy consumption by 42% by 2030, while also significantly lowering CO2 emissions. Lunawood’s ultimate goal is to be carbon neutral by 2035.
“Our deep appreciation goes to Vesa for his initiative and his passion for his work and Lunawood. Innovators like him are rare in any organization, and what makes this innovation so special is its impact on both Lunawood’s sustainability goals and the planet,” says Arto Halonen, CEO of Lunawood.
Vesa Virtanen
Vesa Virtanen has worked in the mechanical forest industry since 2000 and has been with Lunawood since 2016, where he is responsible for the operation and monitoring of the bioenergy plant at Kaskinen. He has also served as an employee representative since 2014.
More information: Jari Viitasalo, Mill Director Kaskinen, +358 50 598 8752, [email protected]
