Virgin Wood Research Articles

Green Packaging Material Preferences among Young Chinese Consumers: A Comparative Study of Recycled versus Virgin Papers and Bio-based versus Synthetic Materials

Abstract Increasing the use of recycled paper instead of virgin wood pulp paper and plastic in green packaging has the potential to alleviate the current pressure on wood supplies, reduce the carbon footprint of consumer goods, and improve the sustainable development of the forest industry. Exploring how consumers’ environmental, carbon, and health concerns influence their preferences for different layers of green paper products can provide theoretical guidance for enhancing resource utilization and promoting sustainable development of the forest products market. This study aimed to identify consumer perceptions of green attributes, assess the impact of environmental and carbon concerns on green product preferences, and examine the significance of paper materials in various packaging layers. Utilizing conjoint, factor, and regression analyses, we investigated young Chinese consumers’ green packaging preferences, focusing on their prioritization of packaging types and the choice between recycled and regular paper over fossil-based materials. The results indicate that consumers prefer green attributes in food packaging, such as recycled paper, paper-based substitutes for plastic, and corn fiber substitutes for nylon. However, recycled paper and virgin paper have no significant difference in consumer utility. For different layers, the preference for recycled paper was slightly higher for outer packaging than for inner packaging and packaging in direct contact with food. Cognitive and affective attitudes toward recycled paper material have a positive impact on both recycled paper and paper-based plastic substitutes, while environmental concern directly influences the choice of recycled paper, and carbon concern influences consumer preferences for paper-based plastic substitutes.

Life Cycle Assessment for particleboards with recycled wood in an industrial context

Abstract The issue of depletion of natural resources carries side effects on human health, the ecosystem, and the planet itself. It is necessary to develop mitigation policies to reverse the actual climate trend. Both actions on small and large scales can make a relevant contribution to that problem. This paper aims to investigate two different approaches of the Life Cycle Assessment in an industrial context, in particular “ex-post” LCA is carried out for particleboards manufactured by a company using 100% recycled wood, while “ex-ante” LCA study is referred to a hypothetical particleboard manufactured equally to the previous product, but using 100% virgin wood, instead of recycled. The outcomes of the comparison of the two LCAs highlights that there are very relevant aspects to take into consideration when the environmental performance of a product is evaluated. In fact, CO2 emissions, which are one of the most concerning environmental impacts nowadays, and which is also orienting European policies, are not the only indicator that affect the impacts related to the human health, the natural environment, and the natural resources. The LCA tool is a complete tool capable to provide all-round environmental impacts of the studied object; in this research the results from the comparison of the two products’ LCA, pointed out how the “land use” increases in the case of the product made with only virgin wood, which is more than 20 times superior compared to the “land use” in the case of particleboard containing 100% recycled wood. The application of the two LCAs is structured on “cradle to gate” system boundary to highlight the impacts of the production process. For both ex-ante and ex-post application an interpretation is conducted to evidence their benefits, but with awareness of possible limits when they are utilized.

Impact of the blending of kaolin on particulate matter (PM) emissions in a biomass field-scale 250 kW grate boiler

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of adding kaolin on the partitioning of chemical elements in the particulate matter (PM) when virgin and waste woody biomass fuels were fired in a 250 kW grate boiler. A comprehensive analysis of the chemical compositions of the PM has been conducted, including alkali and non-volatile species, size-fractionated mass concentrations and micromorphology images. The results showed that the PM emission levels were significantly decreased by approximately 70–76 % and 60–66 % after the addition of kaolin to virgin wood (VW) and grade A recycled wood (RW), respectively, which inhibited the partitioning of the alkali species into fine and ultrafine PM. On the other hand, the concentration of the non-volatile elements, SiO2 and Al2O3, significantly increased in the PM emissions after the addition of kaolin due to the adhesion and aggregation of particulates between airborne kaolin and the fine and ultrafine PM. Moreover, the addition of the kaolin at 1.55 wt% showed comparable effects with that at 2.5 wt% on the chemical composition of PM emission. Furthermore, the SEM morphology suggested that KCl salts were diminished after the addition of the kaolin. These findings demonstrate the practicality of adding kaolin to mitigate PM emissions and their impacts in actual biomass combustion scenarios.

Application of Near Infrared Spectroscopy for the Detection of Chemically Treated Pellets Unsuitable for Combustion

The relevant growth of the wood pellet market in Europe in the last decade led to an increased focus on solid biofuel as a necessary and available renewable resource for energy production. Among biofuels, wooden pellets are among the most widespread for domestic heating. Therefore, monitoring the qualitative properties of commercialized pellets is crucial in order to minimize the amount of harmful emissions in residential areas. Standard ISO 17225 sets threshold values for the chemical and physical properties that commercialized biofuels must fulfil. Specifically, ISO 17225-2 defines that pellets for residential use must be produced from virgin wood, but no method is proposed to assess the actual origin of the material, leading to the risk of the commercialization of pellets made up from chemically treated materials. This study proposes a model obtained via near infrared spectroscopy analyses and chemometrics methods, such as classification, to rapidly assess whether pellets are made up of virgin or chemically treated wood. The result suggests the effectiveness of NIRs for the detection of non-virgin pellets with an accuracy greater than 99%. Furthermore, the model appeared to be accurate in the assessment of both milled and intact pellets, making it a potential in-line instrument for assessments of pellets’ quality.

Particleboards with Recycled Material from Hemp-Based Panels.

This research addresses the current need for sustainable solutions in the construction and furniture industries, with a focus on environmentally friendly particleboard. Particleboards were made from a mixture of virgin wood chips and hemp shives, which were then mechanically recycled and used to make new lightweight particleboards. Phenol-formaldehyde resin with 25% w/w phenol replacement by soybean flour (PFS) was used as the binder for the lignocellulosic materials. Laboratory analyses determined the resin properties, and FTIR confirmed the structure of the experimental PFS resin. The thermal properties of all the resins were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The panels were manufactured using industrial simulation and tested for mechanical and physical properties in accordance with European standards. The FTIR study confirmed good adhesion, and the TGA showed improved thermal stability for the recycled biomass panels compared to virgin biomass panels. The study concludes that lightweight particleboards can be successfully produced from recycled hemp shive-based panels, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional materials in the construction industry.

Lean Design of Alternative Packaging Cushion Material for Glass Bottles using Rice Husk and Coconut Fibre

In recent years, rice husk and coconut fibre started to have substantial commercial value in the industry due to the research being conducted on these agricultural wastes as a new raw material consisting of high fibres and abundant resources. Therefore, this investigation determines the suitability of producing cushion packaging from rice husk and coconut fibre while reducing the amount of pulping material required from virgin wood and the usage of petroleum for making Polystyrene. This study aims to design cushion packaging from rice husk and coconut fibre using the lean concept while studying the compatibility of these cushions as primary packaging. The cushion is designed using AutoCAD software. Three types of cushion packaging models are created using different compositions of rice husk (RH) and coconut fibre (CF): Model 1 (100% RH 0% CF), Model 2 (50% RH 50% CF), and Model 3 (0% RH 100% CF). Each composition is combined with 450g of latex adhesive and 50g of water. The impact performances of cushions from different compositions are conducted using the Drop Tester Model AD-100 Design Series 4410 based on the Standard ASTM D 5276 (Drop Test of Loaded Containers by Free Fall 1998). Model 2 (50% RH 50% CF) gave the best performance in the capability to withstand the impact at a fixed height of 92 cm in the drop test compared to Model 1 (100% RH 0% CF) and Model 3 (0% RH 100% CF). Thus, the composition of rice husk and coconut fibre is the most suitable as packaging cushioning compared to the cushion with a single composition of rice husk or coconut fibre.

High surface area activated carbon prepared from wood-based spent mushroom substrate for supercapacitors and water treatment

Edible white-rot fungi are commonly cultivated on wood-based substrates and selectively degrade lignin to a larger extent during their growth. Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is produced in huge amounts by the mushroom industry and today there is a lack of proven methods to valorize this kind of biomass waste, which in most cases is landfilled or used as fuel. This study demonstrates that birch wood-based SMS from the cultivation of oyster mushrooms can be converted into high-quality activated carbon (AC) with an extremely high surface area of about 3000 m2/g. These activated carbons showed good performance when used in electrodes for supercapacitors, with energy storage parameters nearly identical to AC produced from high-quality virgin birch wood. Moreover, AC produced from SMS showed high potential as an adsorbent for cleaning reactive orange-16 azo dye from aqueous solutions as well as contaminants from synthetic effluents and from real sewage water. The kinetics of adsorption were well represented by the Avrami fractional order model and isotherms of adsorption by the Liu model. The theoretical maximum reactive orange-16 adsorption capacities were approximately 519 mg/g (SMS-based carbon) and 553 mg/g (virgin birch-based carbon). The removal of contaminants from synthetic effluents made of different dyes and inorganic compounds was around 95% and 83% depending on the effluent composition. The removal of contaminants from raw sewage water was around 84%, and from treated sewage water was around 68%. Overall, the results showed that activated carbon prepared from waste generated during cultivation of white-rot fungi is as good as activated carbon prepared from high-quality virgin wood.

Circular wood use can accelerate global decarbonisation but requires cross-sectoral coordination

Predominantly linear use of wood curtails the potential climate-change mitigation contribution of forestry value-chains. Using lifecycle assessment, we show that more cascading and especially circular uses of wood can provide immediate and sustained mitigation by reducing demand for virgin wood, which increases forest carbon sequestration and storage, and benefits from substitution for fossil-fuel derived products, reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. By United Kingdom example, the circular approach of recycling medium-density fibreboard delivers 75% more cumulative climate-change mitigation by 2050, compared with business-as-usual. Early mitigation achieved by circular and cascading wood use complements lagged mitigation achieved by afforestation; and in combination these measures could cumulatively mitigate 258.8 million tonnes CO2e by 2050. Despite the clear benefits of implementing circular economy principles, we identify many functional barriers impeding the structural reorganisation needed for such complex system change, and propose enablers to transform the forestry value-chain into an effective societal change system and lead to coherent action.

Classification of waste wood categories according to the best reuse using FT-NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics

In Europe, the volume of waste wood is increasing. Waste wood can be reused, promoting circular economy and avoiding landfills. It can be used as a bioenergy feedstock reducing the use of fossil fuels, or be reused for producing new composite wood material. Only wood with hazardous substances needs to be disposed. To this aim waste wood samples were collected from a panel board company and several recycling centres in Italy and Denmark. The samples were assigned to waste wood categories and analysed by Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Principal Component Analysis was used to investigate sample variability and Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogies (SIMCA) for classifying the samples according to the appropriate reuse: energy production, panel board production or landfill. The results are good, with a classification rate of 90% for virgin wood material and 86.7% for treated wood material. The classification of waste wood is key for turning it into a secondary resource.

Properties and Emissions of Three-Layer Particleboards Manufactured with Mixtures of Wood Chips and Partially Liquefied Bark.

Partial liquefaction of residual biomass shows good potential for developing new materials suitable for making bio-based composites. Three-layer particleboards were produced by replacing virgin wood particles with partially liquefied bark (PLB) in the core or surface layers. PLB was prepared by the acid-catalyzed liquefaction of industrial bark residues in polyhydric alcohol. The chemical and microscopic structure of bark and residues after liquefaction were evaluated by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), while the particleboards were tested for their mechanical and water-related properties, as well as their emission profiles. Through a partial liquefaction process, some FTIR absorption peaks of the bark residues were lower than those of raw bark, indicating hydrolysis of chemical compounds. The surface morphology of bark did not change considerably after partial liquefaction. Particleboards with PLB in the core layers showed overall lower densities and mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and internal bond strength), and were less water-resistant as compared to the ones with PLB used in the surface layers. Formaldehyde emissions from the particleboards were 0.284-0.382 mg/m2·h, and thus, below the E1 class limit required by European Standard EN 13986:2004. The major emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were carboxylic acids as oxidization and degradation products from hemicelluloses and lignin. The application of PLB in three-layer particleboards is more challenging than in single-layer boards as PLB has different effects on the core and surface layers.

Use of pre-charred surfaces to improve fire performance of wood

Wood is one of the most commonly-used and sustainable construction materials, but it is flammable in nature. Pre-charring is an ancient approach used to protect wooden construction materials against biochemical impacts, but its effectiveness in improving fire performance is still poorly understood. This work proposes a novel method to generate engineered wood with a uniform and robust surface char layer through slow pyrolysis under low thermal irradiation of 20 kW/m2. We found that the flammability of the pre-charred wood can be significantly reduced under higher irradiations up to 50 kW/m2 by increasing the ignition time by up to seven-fold and doubling the ignition temperature to about 670 °C. For the tested wood species (Merbau), we quantify a minimum char-layer thickness of 6 ± 1 mm to achieve effective fire retardancy. The fire hazards of pre-charred wood are also mitigated significantly, where observed flames become weaker, thinner, and bluer than that of the virgin wood. The peak heat release rate of burning pre-charred wood is reduced by over 50%, helping maintain the fire resilience of timber structures. This work quantifies the fire performance of pre-charred wood, highlighting a promising direction toward fire-safe timber construction materials.

Cellulose Textiles from Hemp Biomass: Opportunities and Challenges

Worldwide demand for man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF) are increasing as availability of cotton fibre declines due to climate change. Feedstock for MMCF include virgin wood, agricultural residues (e.g., straw), and pre- and post-consumer cellulosic materials high in alpha-cellulose content. Lyocell MMCF (L-MMCF) offer large advantages over other MMCF processes in terms of both environmental and social impacts: the solvent for cellulosic dissolution, n-methyl-morpholine-n-oxide, can be recycled, and the process utilizes non-toxic chemicals and low amounts of water. Hemp can be a preferential cellulosic feedstock for L-MMCF as hemp cultivation results in carbon dioxide sequestration, and it requires less water, fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides than other L-MMCF feedstock crops. These factors contribute to hemp being an environmentally conscious crop. The increased legalization of industrial hemp cultivation, as well as recent lifts on cannabis restrictions worldwide, allows accessibility to local sources of cellulose for the L-MMCF process. In addition, hemp biomass can offer a much larger feedstock for L-MMCF production per annum than other cellulosic sources, such as eucalyptus trees and bamboo. This paper offers perspectives on the agricultural, manufacturing, and economic opportunities and challenges of utilizing hemp biomass for the manufacturing of L-MMCF.

Exploring 2040: Global Trends and International Policies Setting Frames for the Finnish Wood-Based Economy

Global trends influence the approaches and mindset for using natural resources and technological capacities. Participatory scenario methods have proven useful in long-term foresight. However, country-level foresight studies often ignore the broader trends affecting international markets and setting frames for economic development. This study envisions which global trends could occur and how the resulting European policies might affect the Finnish forest sector’s development in 2040. We applied a Futures Wheel approach, where stakeholder groups consisting of policy-, economic- and social sustainability-, technology-, and climate sustainability -experts in the field of forestry and interlinking industries created three future scenarios in a workshop: (1) biodiversity and regulated economy, (2) circular economy, and (3) era of social connection. The scenarios assumed growing resource scarcity as a result of climate change, as well as over-consumption and increasing inequality problems globally. Thus, European-level policies focused on the circular economy and resource-use restrictions. Finnish industries should invest in wood-based side stream and waste utilization to increase added value and decrease virgin wood uses to succeed in these scenarios. However, this would require investments in non-wood energy sources to release these secondary wood flows from energy uses.

Environmental impact assessment of cascading use of wood in bio-fuels and bio-chemicals

Cascading keeps wood in products for a longer duration and delays the embedded biogenic carbon emission. Carbon is kept out of the atmosphere for longer, giving forests time to sequester equivalent amounts of carbon. The storage period and time needed to sequester the same amount of carbon affect the GWP - an aspect often overlooked in LCA. This study compares alternative wood cascading scenarios producing biochemicals and fuel – to examine the influence of the rate of biogenic carbon flows on the net GWP of cascading systems.GWP decreases with increasing cascade steps. Benefits are higher when considering the temporal information – highlighting that current carbon accounting may underestimate the climate benefit of cascading. The GWP of bio-refinery products depends on their feedstock. GWP is lower when using waste wood, which has served a long time, instead of virgin wood. Benefits enlarge by extending the application lifetimes of these products.

Circular utilization of urban tree waste contributes to the mitigation of climate change and eutrophication

Circular utilization of urban tree waste contributes to the mitigation of climate change and eutrophication

High-performance sustainable tissue paper from agricultural residue: a case study on fique fibers from Colombia

Global sustainability megatrends are promoting the utilization of sustainably perceived fibers such as recycled and agricultural residue fibers in hygiene tissue applications. Tissue paper products advertised as sustainable have higher prices and inferior performance than conventional products manufactured from virgin wood fibers. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using agricultural residues from fique plantations (Furcraea microphylla genus) as an alternative to Northern Bleached Softwood Fibers (NBSK) in high-performance hygiene tissue applications. For our study, fiber residues were mechanically cleaned and upgraded to a tissue pulp using a simple pulping and bleaching process. A complete characterization of tissue paper properties (bulk, softness, water absorbency, tensile strength) was performed and compared against the NBSK market pulp. Additionally, fique residue pulp was blended with Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft (BEK) to match the performance of a selected benchmark consisting of 70% BEK and 30% NBSK. Results indicate fique residue bleached pulp has similar fiber morphology and comparable strength properties in terms of the tensile strength (+ 6%) and tear strength (+ 10%), but superior bulk (+ 12%), water absorbency (+ 28%), and softness (−29% TS7 values) than NBSK pulp. A fiber blend of 70% BEK and 30% fique residue showed superior tensile strength (+ 21%), tear strength (+ 54%), bulk (+ 5.5%), water absorbency (+ 1.5%), and softness (−8.7% TS7 values) over a similar fiber blend of BEK and NBSK. Our findings demonstrate that fibers from fique residue can substitute NBSK in hygiene tissue applications. Upgrading residues from fique fibers as raw materials for the tissue industry can bridge the gap between sustainability and product performance, simultaneously opening the possibility of new revenue streams for millions of small farmers in the producing countries.

Pyrolysis Process for the Recycling of Cork Dust Waste from the Processing of Cork Agglomerate Caps in Lightweight Materials

This study aimed to investigate the possibility of recycling cork scraps derived from the production of agglomerated bottle caps containing organic additives (glues and adhesives) in addition to virgin wood. The study involved pyrolysis treatment followed by the use of char to obtain lightweight material prototypes. The scrap was pyrolysed in order to achieve the thermal degradation of unwanted molecules with decomposition temperatures lower than the pyrolysis temperatures, but also to achieve the reduction in mass and size of the starting material. The substitution of 15% by weight of weight-lightening agent (char from pyrolysed cork, or half char and half spent coffee grounds) into the clayey matrix made it possible to obtain lightweight aggregates with pH and conductivity values that could be exploited in an agronomic context. The substitution of clay with of 5 to 15% by weight of pyrolysed cork char in the production of specimens pressed at 25 bar and fired slowly at 1000 °C led to lightweight ceramics with particularly interesting porosity (from 41 to 68%) and bulk density (850–1600 kg/m3) values.

A comparative evaluation of waste wood and herbaceous biomass fireside corrosion behaviours

Biomass/biomass waste (BBW) is a renewable energy source fired in combustion power plants. However, challenges associated include accelerated ‘fireside’ corrosion of heat exchangers. Fireside corrosion is fuel dependent, e.g. virgin wood fuels have lower fireside corrosion risks; as such their demand and cost is high. Waste wood fuels (WWF) and herbaceous grass biomass (HGB), generate different combustion environments, influencing heat exchanger fireside corrosion damage.This paper compares the fireside corrosion of WWF and HGB fuels to improve understanding of their attack mechanisms on T91 and 374HFG. The species generated in combustion have been investigated by thermodynamic modelling. Corrosion damage has been evaluated by high temperature corrosion furnace tests at 600 °C, employing the well-established deposit recoat method based on these evolved species. Vapour condensation fluxes have been compared for both fuel categories; corrosion rates increase with this condensation flux. Deposition fluxes from HGB fuels are higher than for WWF. For example, the average KCl deposition fluxes calculated are 1566 µg/cm2h and 295 µg/cm2h per kg fuel feed respectively, explaining the comparatively greater fireside corrosion rates experienced in power plants combusting HGB fuels. The deposit chemistries generated are also different: K-containing compounds only (for HGB fuels) versus K-, Na- and Ca-containing compounds (for WWF).Evaluation of corroded samples exposed to the different deposit chemistries show increased corrosion attack to both steels under simulated WWF firing conditions than for the HGB at matched deposit flux (100 µg/cm2h).

Modeling and Evaluation of Ash-Forming Element Fate and Occurrence in Woody Biomass Combustion in an Entrained-Flow Burner

Biomass combustion equipment is often susceptible to ash deposition due to the relatively significant quantities of potassium, silicon, and other ash-forming elements in biomass. To evaluate the propensity for ash deposition resulting from biomass combustion, a biomass combustion model was integrated with a chemical equilibrium model to predict the fate and occurrence of ash-forming elements in a pilot-scale entrained-flow burner. The integrated model simulated the combustion of white wood (virgin wood) and recycled wood (treated wood) previously combusted in the burner. The key advantage of this model in comparison to a model with general equilibrium assumed is that it was able to consider the rate of release of trace and minor species with time, the local equilibrium in the particles, and separately, that in the continuum phase (which also included any solid or liquid materials nucleating). The simulation generated the fate and occurrence profiles of each ash-forming element along the burner. The qualitative comparisons between the modeled profiles and the previous experimental findings under similar operating conditions show reasonable agreement. The concentrations of ash-forming elements released from the burner were also compared with the experimental online inductively coupled plasma readings. However, the latter comparison shows overestimation using the modeled results and might suggest that further considerations of other parameters such as ash nucleation and coagulation are required. Nonetheless, based on the ongoing performance of the integrated model, future use of the model might be expanded to a broader range of problematic solid fuels such as herbaceous biomass or municipal solid waste.

Machine learning prediction and analysis of commercial wood fuel blends used in a typical biomass power station

Biomass can be utilised as a near carbon neutral fuel for power generation. Biomass may come in a variety of forms, such as woods or agricultural wastes, with highly variable compositions. It is well known that biomass ash content and composition can introduce severe operational challenges to power stations, such as slagging and corrosion. Machine learning approaches have been successfully applied in a variety of contexts to generate predictive models and identify relationships in large data sets. However, such approaches have not previously been applied to biomass trace element or ash content data, in part due to limited large data set availability. In this work, 5 years of fuel blend analysis data (3500+ data sets) was analysed from a 35MWe biomass power station burning a 60/40% blend of virgin wood and recycled (waste) wood. Variation to ash content and key trace elements (K, Na, Pb, Zn, Cl) was analysed and compared versus a literature average benchmark. Identification of underlying relationships between these key components and others was attempted with principal component analysis and random forest regression machine learning. Ash and chlorine exceeded the literature average benchmark over many time periods and would have a negative impact on boiler operation. Potassium and sodium were only above literature average levels intermittently. No significant underlying relationships for the key components could be identified with principal component analysis or random forest regression, nor could an accurate predictive model be created, though some minor trends were noted. This is likely due to the high degree of heterogeneity seen in the fuel data, as it is a blend of virgin and recycled wood. It is suggested that future studies applying machine learning methods in this context either use singular fuel data sets, or that additional information is recorded within the blended data set when analysis fuel composition (e.g. fuel sources, suppliers, blend ratio). Suggestions were also made regarding improvements to waste wood sampling approaches.