Abstract
The use of wood panel residues as biomass for energy production is feasible. Heat treatments can improve energy properties while minimizing the emission of toxic gases due to thermoset polymers used in Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) panels. Torrefaction or pre-carbonization, a heat treatment between 200 and 300 °C with low oxygen availability accumulates carbon and lignin, decreases hygroscopicity, and increases energy efficiency. The objective of this work was to evaluate the energy parameters (immediate, structural, and elementary chemical composition, moisture content, and yield) and density in torrefied MDF panels. The torrefaction improved the energetic features of coated MDF, decreasing the moisture content, volatile matter, and consequently, concentrating the carbon with better results in the samples torrefied for 40 min. The densitometric profiles of the torrefied MDF, obtained by X-ray densitometry, showed a decrease in the apparent density as torrefaction time increased. The digital X-ray images in gray and rainbow scale enabled the most detailed study of the density variation of MDF residues.
Highlights
The use of wood panel residues as biomass for energy production is feasible
The demand increase for Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) panels raises problems with the generation of residues associated with the production process[3], which can be used as a source of biomass for energy production[4,5,6]
Woodworking and furniture factories in series accumulate residues from wood panels until they are sent to steam and energy generation boilers or deposited in inappropriate a reas[7]
Summary
The use of wood panel residues as biomass for energy production is feasible. Heat treatments can improve energy properties while minimizing the emission of toxic gases due to thermoset polymers used in Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) panels. Woodworking (main use of melamine-coated MDF) and furniture factories in series (main use of uncoated raw MDF) accumulate residues from wood panels until they are sent to steam and energy generation boilers or deposited in inappropriate a reas[7]. These operations are difficult to perform due to synthetic resins based on urea–formaldehyde or phenol–formaldehyde, which are thermoset polymers of the p anels[7,8,9]. Varnishes and adhesives, such as urea, melanin, and formaldehyde, common in wood panel residues, can be the origin of these c ompounds[16,17]
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