Circular vs. linear economy of building materials: A case study for particleboards made of recycled wood and biopolymer vs. conventional particleboards

Abstract

This paper proposes the assessment of particleboards based on the Circular Economy (CE) approach, in which wood wastes and bio-resins are used to produce circular construction materials and compare them with conventional panels made of synthetic polymers and virgin wood particles. The use of discarded wood in particleboards aims to provide circular routes for this solid waste instead of the landfill after use. In addition, two bio-based polyurethane (PU) and urea–formaldehyde (UF) polymers are compared for the production of particleboards. The alternative particleboards are made with raw wood shavings of the species Pinus taeda, Pinus elliotti and Eucalyptus urograndis, without sifting processing. The particleboards are evaluated by the screw pull-out tensile test, three-point bending test, swelling after water immersion and colourimetry. Additional analyses such as surface roughness, thermal conductivity, apparent porosity and scanning electronic microscopy are performed for the characterisation of the panels. The technical viability of particleboards is obtained by mechanical analysis for higher density composites of PU polymers and eucalyptus wood. Finally, a life cycle assessment of particleboards made from recycled wood and bio-resins reveals that all scenarios for the production of particleboards in a CE approach are environmentally benign alternatives, reducing up to 95% of the environmental impacts to human toxicity, abiotic depletion and other impacts compared to the traditional and linear scenario. The best circular scenarios are more sustainable than linear scenarios, especially for the cases of particleboards are made with medium densities involving eucalyptus or pinus wood wastes and PU polymer.