Energy consumption of wood based panel products: a review

Abstract

Adoption of green concepts in designing of new buildings in India requires energy ratings of the products used. Wood and wood based panel products are still regarded as one of the versatile materials especially in the building and construction sector. However, processing of wood and wood based panel products requires enormous amounts of energy. It is necessary to evaluate these products in terms of energy requirement for raw material procurement and their processing viz., sawing, seasoning, preservative treatment, manufacture and to transport them to a job site. Further, it is also important to consider the upkeep or maintenance of the material after its useful life. Limited research has been carried out in India on embodied energy values of the panel products. Based on the enormous data available around the world, this paper reviews energy consumption of wood based panel products such as plywood, particle board, medium density fibre board and oriented strand board from a building perspective.