Energy Efficiency in the Brazilian Pulp and Paper Industry

Guilherme Fracaro, Esa Vakkilainen, Marcelo Hamaguchi and Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza
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Guilherme Fracaro: State University of Western Parana, University Street, 2069, Cascavel, Parana, Brazil
Esa Vakkilainen: Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta 20, FI-53581, Finland
Marcelo Hamaguchi: Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta 20, FI-53581, Finland
Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza: State University of Western Parana, University Street, 2069, Cascavel, Parana, Brazil

Energies, 2012, vol. 5, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: Industrial energy efficiency has received increasing attention in many countries because of its importance in the pursuit of energy supply security, increased economic competitiveness and in the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions. This paper aimed to evaluate the energy consumption development of the Brazilian pulp and paper industry through an energy decomposition analysis and an energy efficiency index approach over a 30 years period. An international comparison with other important paper-producing countries ( i.e. , Canada, United States of America, Finland and Sweden) was carried out. It was concluded that despite a significant increase in the energy efficiency levels, responsible for 5.6 PJ savings in electricity consumption and for 38.6 PJ savings in fuels consumption between 1979 and 2009, a saving potential of 7.8 PJ and 146.2 PJ related to the annual consumption of electricity and fuels, respectively, could be identified in the Brazilian pulp and paper industry. Among the countries evolved in the international comparison, both the Swedish and Finnish industries were the most efficient, followed by the Brazilian, American and Canadian, the latter being the only one where there was a reduction in the energy efficiency levels from 1979 to 2009.

Keywords: energy-efficiency; decomposition analysis; international comparison (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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