Environmental impacts evaluation and promotion measures of wood-based composite doors

Abstract

China is one of the biggest producers of wooden doors all over the world, and the wood-based composite doors are the most popular wooden door type in the country. In the context of energy-efficient and environment-friendly, assessing the environmental impacts of wood-based composite doors has become a necessity. The aim of this study was to comprehensively estimate the cradle-to-grave environmental effects of wood-based composite doors by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Using the eFootprint software, LCA study of wood-based composite doors was conducted according to the rules of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The selected environmental indicators were: respiratory inorganics (RI), global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication potential (EP), water use (WU), primary energy demand (PED), acidification potential (AP), photochemical oxidation formation potential (POFP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP), and ozone depletion potential (ODP). The results indicated that the production phase of raw and auxiliary material was the largest contributor to the environmental effects in terms of ADP, AP, PED, EP, GWP, RI, WU, ODP, and POFP, with the relative share ranging from 49 % to 99 %. The medium density fiberboard was the largest environmental hotspot because of the use of urea-formaldehyde resin. The end-of-life disposal also had a noticeable influence on environmental impact of the door. While the door manufacturing phase and transport phase had less environmental effects. The improvement measures were put forward from two aspects of door manufacturers and their suppliers. In addition, the feasibility and environmental benefits of door recycling was also discussed. The current results can help wood-based composite door manufacturers understand and improve the environmental performance of products.