Wood-based Industry Research Articles

Wood-based construction project supplier selection under uncertain starting date

There is a growing interest in supply management systems in today's competitive business environment. Importance of implementing supply management systems especially in home construction industry is due to the fact that several risks arising from different sources can adversely affect the project financially or its timely completion. Some risks of construction projects are out of managers' control while other risks such as supply related ones can usually be controlled and directed by effective managerial tactics. In this paper, we address the supplier selection problem (SSP) in wood-based construction industry (housing projects) in the presence of project commencement uncertainties. Based on the suppliers' (vendors') reaction towards these uncertainties in the delivery time, we explore two cases: (a) supplier selection with buyer penalty for a delay (SSPD) where the price of product increases with the delay; (b) supplier selection with quantity reduction for a buyer delay (SSQRD). Three heuristic-based supplier selection approaches are proposed and tested on randomly generated data sets. The proposed approaches show promising results.

Exploring the Utilization of Lesser-Known Species for Furniture Production—A Case Study in the Western Region, Ghana

Increased demand for traditional timber species has led to the depletion of large areas of Ghana’s forest cover. Sustainable forest management requires that measures are put in place to minimize forest depletion through the utili-zation of lesser-known species, reforestation, setting margins for annual al-lowable cut, banning export of round logs, conservation of biological diversity and promotion of efficient wood-based industry. The study aimed at exploring public perception on the use of lesser-known species for making furniture to save our dwindling forest. The research methods adopted were purposive and random sampling. It is purposive because the research was targeted at furniture shops and furniture showrooms and random sampling was used to make the selection. A questionnaire was developed to acquire data for the study from experienced people in the timber industry as well as the general public. Specifically, 450 people were contacted to fill the questionnaire from 15 constituencies out of 29 in the Western Region. Personal interviews were also conducted. The research revealed that most Ghanaians prefer traditional species to the lesser-known ones. Greater part of the population prefers species like Odum, Danta, Dahoma, and Denyan etc. For roofing whiles Cedar, mahogany, Makore, Walnut, and Avodirie are used for furniture. The perception is that when the traditional species are used for either roofing or furniture they last longer. Some challenges with the use of lesser-known species are lack of ready market for products may from lesser known species, and lack of requisite machines to work with some of the lesser-known species etc. The study concluded that there is the need here in Ghana to promote the utilization of lesser known species; since majority of furniture manufacturers have little knowledge about their usage in the industry.

Economic Determinants and Analysis of the European Union Wood Industry SMEs Employment

Wood-based industries are an important part of the European Union (EU) manufacturing sector because their growth can help in achieving EU’s industrial policy goal of raising manufacturing’s gross domestic product (GDP) to 20% by 2020. In this paper, special emphasis is placed on the influence of macro-economic factors on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) employment in the wood industry. The research objective was to test whether traditional macroeconomic indicators of economic growth are significant determinates of SMEs employment dynamics. For estimation of employment dynamics, a two-step Arellano-Bover/Blundell-Bond (a system generalized method of moments) estimator with robust standard errors was used. The model contained the following independent variables: real GDP growth rate; industrial production of wood processing industry; the number of wood processing enterprises; and exporting of manufactured goods of wood processing. The findings confirmed that the increase in GDP growth rate, the industrial production of wood processing, and exporting of manufactured goods of wood processing had statistically significant and positive impacts on SMEs employment. It was also found that the existence of a high number of enterprises had a positive impact on employment.

Analisis Penawaran dan Permintaan Kayu Bulat untuk Pemenuhan Kebutuhan Industri Kayu Lapis, Kayu Gergaji dan Pulp di Indonesia

In the last three decades the forestry sector has been given an important contribution to the economy of Indonesia , and during the period year 1993-2005 , it contributed from 1.7 to 3.1 percent . To maintain this contribution, it is needed to have a continuation raw material input, Roundwood . Some studies showed that the supply of raw material for wood-based primary industries such as plywood, sawn timber, and pulp in Indonesia are still continuing. Therefore it needs to know the characteristic supply and demand of the wood-based industry by predicting the elasticity. This paper will discuss elasticity supply and demand of the input market of Roundwood from natural and plantation forests and output market of plywood, sawn timber and pulp. Data used for this study is time series , from the year 1995 until the year 2009. The estimation of the econometric model used in this study was simultaneous (2SLS) equation or ordinary least squares (OLS) if the 2SLS model is not working. D ata process ed by the Rats processing program. All predicted parameter then evaluated and checked in accordance with the economic theory. However, not all predicted elasticity resulted from this study were used . For those could not use that data taken from references. Demand elasticity of Roundwood from natural forests and plantation forests are mostly priced inelastic. Keywords: wood-based industry, supply, demand, estimation of econometric models, e lasticity . ABSTRAK Dalam tiga dekade terakhir sektor kehutanan telah memberikan kontribusi penting bagi perekonomian Indonesia, dan selama rentang waktu tahun 1993-2005, memberikan kontribusi 1.7 sampai 3.1 persen. Untuk mempertahankan nilai ini, diperlukan keberlanjutan penyediaan kebutuhan bahan baku, kayu bulat. Beberapa penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ketersediaan bahan baku bagi industri primer berbasis kayu seperti kayu lapis, kayu gergaji dan pulp di Indonesia masih berjalan. Oleh karena itu perlu untuk diketahui kharakteristik penawaran dan permintaan industri primer berbasis kayu melalui nilai penduga elastisitasnya. Penelitian ini akan membahas mengenai elastisitas penawaran dan elastisitas permintaan pasar input kayu bulat yang berasal dari hutan alam dan hutan tanaman, dan pasar output kayu lapis, kayu gergaji dan pulp. Data yang digunakan dalam rentang tahun 1995 sampai dengan tahun 2009. Model dugaan ekonometrik yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah persamaan simultan (2SLS) atau ordinary least squares (OLS) apabila 2SLS tidak dapat digunakan. Pengolahan data menggunakan program RATS. Keseluruhan nilai parameter dugaan selanjutnya dievaluasi dan diperiksa berdasarkan teori ekonomi. Namun demikian, tidak semua nilai dugaan elastisitas yang dihasilkan dalam penelitian ini digunakan. Nilai yang tidak dapat digunakan kemudian dicari nilai penggantinya yang diperoleh dari berbagai referensi. Elastisitas permintaan permintaaan kayu bulat yang berasal dari hutan alam dan hutan tanaman adalah inelastis. Kata kunci: industri berbasis kayu, penawaran, permintaan, model dugaan ekonometrik, elastisitas

Technological Characterization and Use of Babassu Residue (Orbygnia phalerata Mart.) in Particleboard

The wood-based panel industry is growing all over the world, and in many countries the raw material is becoming increasingly inadequate and increasingly expensive. Therefore, new inputs are needed to reduce production costs. The residue of babassu palm fruit after nut extraction process is an alternative, due to its fibrous characteristics, the high availability in the large agroindustrial complexes in the North of Brazil and the low cost. Thus the research was: (i) to determine the mechanical characteristics (tensile strength and elasticity), physicochemical characteristics (density, pH, extractives content and chemical composition) and micro-structural of the babassu residue, comparing it with the particles of Pinus sp., used in commercial panels; (ii) to evaluate the quality of panels manufactured with babassu residue by physical conditions (swelling in thickness and water absorption) and mechanical characterization (elasticity and rupture) based on Brazilian Technical Standards (NBR 14810-2: 2013), American (ANSI A208.1: 2009) and European (EN 312: 2003). Statistical analysis of the data was performed with the aid of Infostat software through analysis of variance using Tukey test at the 5% probability level. The babassu residue has technological characteristics that allow its use in particleboard production. However, there are particularities that may compromise its use, such as high silica content and high density. Particleboard made from babassu residue presented mechanical performance above that required by current normative documents. However, for the physical properties, especially for the porosity of the particleboard of babassu, the obtained values were lower than the required minimum.

Assessment of the Carbon Footprint of Rubberwood Sawmilling in Peninsular Malaysia: Challenging the Green Label of the Material

Rubberwood is an important wood resource for the wood-based industry in Malaysia and the neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian region. Many studies have been conducted to assess rubberwood’s properties and economic viability for value-added wood products manufacturing. However, information on the material’s environmental performance and green labeling is limited. Therefore, the life cycle approach was carried out in this study to evaluate the carbon footprint of rubberwood rough green sawn timber production. A cradle-to-gate approach was applied. The results indicated that the carbon footprint for rubberwood rough green sawn timber production was 52.9 CO2-eq/m3. However, when taking into consideration the carbon footprint of the whole rubberwood sawmilling industry in comparison to the Dark Red Meranti sawmilling industry, it is apparent that the total carbon footprint of the rubberwood sawmilling industry is remarkably higher. This is due to the use of inefficient processing technology, which leads to a high level of wastage on the harvesting site and in the mill. Therefore, this study shows that the green label accorded to rubberwood appears questionable from the perspective of its carbon footprint, and that efforts must be taken to minimize the waste if the material is to achieve a green material status.

Ozone-based advanced oxidation process as pre-treatment of wastewater from the wood-based industry

Three ozone-based advanced oxidation treatments (O3; O3 with initial pH adjustment and; O3/UV with initial pH adjustment) were compared for the treatment of a recalcitrant wastewater generated during washing/cleaning of surfaces and equipment used in filling and gluing processes (urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins) in a wood-floor industry in Sweden. The wastewater (initial COD 3,400-4,000 mg/L) was obtained at the outlet of a sedimentation tank, which receive an inflow with an average COD of 45,000 mg/L. The experiments were performed in a semi-batch microbubble column reactor connected to a UV reactor, where 2.5 L samples of wastewater were submitted to the maximum dose of 2 g of O3 per gram of initial COD. For the full-factorial design, the independent variables were O3 concentration (g O3/Nm3); recirculation flow (L/min); and initial pH (pHi). The evaluation of the treatment performance was based on COD and TOC reductions (in %), and the effluent obtained was used in respirometric assays with activated sludge obtained at a municipal wastewater treatment plant to assess biodegradability/inhibitory effects. The results showed that ozonation at the original low pH promoted a reduction of 65% and 31% of COD and TOC respectively, but made the effluent less biodegradable. The highest COD and TOC reductions were achieved when O3 /UV treatment with pHi = 9.3 were applied (93% e 56% reductions for COD and TOC respectively). The results with the respirometry tests suggest that application of O3 only at higher pH values promoted biodegradability enhancement of the effluent, making it treatable by microbiota obtained with activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Growth and Reinvention 2017: A North American Perspective on the Global Wood-Based Panel Industry

Worldwide usage of plywood, the original engineered wood panel, has continued to grow, However, North American plywood production and consumption has finally stabilized (2012–2016) after steadily declining since the 1987 peak. The decline was particularly sharp from 2007 to 2009 during the years of the Great Recession.

Role of Online Survey Tools in Creating Temporally Accurate Environmental Product Declarations within the Context of the US Wood Products Industry*

Abstract An environmental product declaration (EPD) presents quantified environmental information on a product or process in a simplified form. EPDs are based on the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of products conducted in accordance with standards of the International Organization for Standardization. An LCA analysis ensures that the environmental impacts associated with all processes undertaken to produce the product, ranging from extraction (cradle) to its final product stage (gate) or postuse disposal (grave), are included. To be able to present temporally accurate EPDs, the corresponding LCA data need to be updated every 5 to 10 years, depending on the nature of the industry. In this article, we present the pros and cons associated with using Web-based data collection tools to conduct and maintain temporally accurate LCA data. We also present the lessons learned in using Web-based survey tools, with reference to the wood-based industry, and propose a methodology to maintain temporally accurate LCA data with minimal intervention, facilitating periodic update of the EPDs.

Engineered Wood Composite of Laminated Veneer Lumber: Physical and Mechanical Properties

Utilisation of forest plantation species such as Acacia hybrid has been used in wood-based industry as an alternative to solid wood that was usually attained from natural forest. While, the under-utilised species such as Mangifera sp. is not often been used as raw material for wood products, in this study, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) has been produced from Acacia hybrid and Mangifera sp. The physical and mechanical properties of LVL were determined and compared. For physical testing, the range value of moisture content was 9.41% to 14.56%, Density was 487.90 kg/m3 to 699.10 kg/m3, thickness swelling was between 0.20% to 6.05%, water absorption between 32.71% to 91.25%, and rate of delamination from 0% to 100%. Mangifera sp. LVL has higher moisture content, rate of delamination, and water absorbency. In mechanical testing, it is been found that Acacia hybrid LVL has overall higher strength compared to Mangifera sp. LVL, in terms of static bending strength (MOR and MOE), shear strength, and compression strength. Range of value for MOR was between 10.27 N/mm2 to 129.99 N/mm2, MOE between 1138 N/mm2 to 16472.93 N/mm2, shear strength between 0.43 N/mm2 to 3.40 N/mm2, and compression between 139.45 N/mm2 to 6749.74 N/mm2. For physical testing, the overall result of p-value for moisture content, water absorption, and delamination were significant at p ≤ 0.05, while density and thickness swelling were not significant at p ≥ 0.05. For overall result, the p-value for static bending strength (MOR and MOE) was significant at p ≤ 0.05 while for shear strength and compression strength were not significant at p ≥ 0.05.

Significance of wood extractives for wood bonding.

Wood contains primary extractives, which are present in all woods, and secondary extractives, which are confined in certain wood species. Extractives in wood play a major role in wood-bonding processes, as they can contribute to or determine the bonding relevant properties of wood such as acidity and wettability. Therefore, extractives play an immanent role in bonding of wood chips and wood fibres with common synthetic adhesives such as urea-formaldehyde-resins (UF-resins) and phenol-formaldehyde-resins (PF-resins). Extractives of high acidity accelerate the curing of acid curing UF-resins and decelerate bonding with alkaline hardening PF-resins. Water-soluble extractives like free sugars are detrimental for bonding of wood with cement. Polyphenolic extractives (tannins) can be used as a binder in the wood-based industry. Additionally, extractives in wood can react with formaldehyde and reduce the formaldehyde emission of wood-based panels. Moreover, some wood extractives are volatile organic compounds (VOC) and insofar also relevant to the emission of VOC from wood and wood-based panels.

Assessment of Environmental Emissions from Sawmilling Activity in Malaysia

The sawmilling sector is the backbone of the Malaysian wood-based industry. Sawn timber is used extensively for further manufacturing of secondary wood-based products. The conversion of saw-logs into sawn timber releases several gases into the atmosphere, and these may contribute to environmental burdens as well as environmental impacts. Thus, this study aims to determine the environmental performance from gate-to-gate in the sawmilling industry using the life cycle assessment technique. Data pertaining to the saw-logs and energy consumption was calculated, and the environmental performance was assessed. The study focused on two different size sawmills and two tropical hardwood species. The findings concluded that several types of gases namely, CO2, CH4, NOx, N2O, SO2, and CO were discharged to the environment as a result of sawmilling processes. The discharge of these gases impacted the environment in the form of global warming, acidification, human toxicity, eutrophication, and photo-oxidant formation potentials.

Advanced Oxidation Treatment of Recalcitrant Wastewater from a Wood-Based Industry: a Comparative Study of O3 and O3/UV

Ozone and ozone-based advanced oxidation processes were applied for the treatment of a recalcitrant wastewater generated by wood-based industries that contains different inorganic and organic constituents and high chemical oxygen demand (COD) varying between 3,400 and 4,000 mg/L. The investigation used a tubular ozone reactor combined with an UV reactor designed for different hydraulic retention times. The dependent variables addressed to evaluate the treatment efficiency were the reduction of COD and total organic carbon (TOC) and the biodegradability of the treated effluent based on respirometric studies using activated sludge from a wastewater treatment. The results showed that even though ozonation alone at acid pH promoted COD and TOC reductions of 65 and 31 % respectively, a decrease in the biodegradability was observed. The most effective treatment (COD and TOC reductions of 93 and 43 %, respectively) was obtained when applying ozone combined with UV light at basic pH. The ozone-UV combination was capable of increasing the amount of readily available COD by 75 % with an additional reduction of TOC by 60 %. In conclusion, ozonation at low pH effectively reduces the COD content in wastewater generated by the wood-based industry; however, in order to combine advanced oxidation with biological process, ozone combined with UV is recommended.

Carbon Stocking in the Natural Forests - The Case of Malaysia

Forested land in the world is about 28% of the global land area, accounting for 80% of the terrestrial carbon stored as biomass and soil organic carbon. Human activities, namely fossil fuel combustion and deforestation resulted in anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. Deforestation is being focused in this study in view of the role of forests as carbon stocks. Carbon is normally referred to as biomass of the tree. Several studies revealed that carbon is mostly sequestered in the aboveground part of biomass. As Southeast Asia has the highest level of deforestation, this study focused on observing carbon stocks in Malaysian forests. The conducted estimation of forest carbon stocks reveals carbon stock increment owing to the increment in the forested land. Yet, the forest transition process necessary for expanding the areas of forested land appears to be difficult to achieve. The economic development in the agricultural sector, land conversion for industrialization and settlement, expansion of wood-based industry and employment opportunities in the wood-based sector may hamper forest transition.

Carbon Stocking in the Natural Forests – The Case of Malaysia

Forested land in the world is about 28% of the global land area, accounting for 80% of the terrestrial carbon stored as biomass and soil organic carbon. Human activities, namely fossil fuel combustion and deforestation resulted in anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. Deforestation is being focused in this study in view of the role of forests as carbon stocks. Carbon is normally referred to as biomass of the tree. Several studies revealed that carbon is mostly sequestered in the aboveground part of biomass. As Southeast Asia has the highest level of deforestation, this study focused on observing carbon stocks in Malaysian forests. The conducted estimation of forest carbon stocks reveals carbon stock increment owing to the increment in the forested land. Yet, the forest transition process necessary for expanding the areas of forested land appears to be difficult to achieve. The economic development in the agricultural sector, land conversion for industrialization and settlement, expansion of wood-based industry and employment opportunities in the wood-based sector may hamper forest transition.

The role of biomass and bioenergy in a future bioeconomy: Policies and facts

The European Commission has set a long-term goal to develop a competitive, resource efficient and low carbon economy by 2050. Bioeconomy is expected to play an important role in the low carbon economy. This paper provides a review of the policy framework for developing a bioeconomy in the European Union covering energy and climate, agriculture and forestry, industry and research. The Europe has a number of well-established traditional bio-based industries, ranging from agriculture, food, feed, fibre and forest-based industries. This paper proposes an analysis of the current status of bioeconomy in the European Union and worldwide until 2020 and beyond. We estimate the current bio economy market at about € 2.4 billion, including agriculture, food and beverage, agro-industrial products, fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, wood-based industry, biochemical, enzymes, biopharmaceutical, biofuels and bioenergy, using about 2 billion tonnes and employing 22 million persons. New sectors are emerging, such as biomaterials and green chemistry. The transition toward a bioeconomy will rely on the advancement in technology of a range of processes, on the achievement of a breakthrough in terms of technical performances and cost effectiveness and will depend on the availability of sustainable biomass.

Trends and Future Scenarios of Forestry and Other Land Uses Employment in Indonesia: a Modeling Approach

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Overview of Forestry Sector in Peninsular Malaysia

Forests have played an important role in the resource-based socio-economic development of Malaysia. Malaysia, located in South East Asia, comprises Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak. In accordance with Malaysia’s Federal Constitution, the legislative control of land and forests is a state matter and the state governments have complete jurisdiction over their respective forest resources. This paper is concerned with the forestry sector in Peninsular Malaysia. It describes and discuss the current status of forest in Peninsular Malaysia in terms of its policy and legislation, forest administration, forest management system under sustainable forest management, forest resources and wood-based industries.

Screening of bacterial biocontrols against sapstain fungus (Lasiodiplodia theobromae Pat.) of rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis Muell.Arg.)

Diverse bacterial biocontrol agents from various sources of aerobic composts against the sapstain fungus Lasiodiplodia theobromae in rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) were isolated, screened and identified by various morphological, biochemical and molecular techniques. The inhibitory effect of seventeen bacterial isolates was examined and seven exhibited inhibition towards the sapstain fungus. Among the seven antagonists, six were conclusively identified as Bacillus subtilis and one as Paenibacillus polymyxa using 16S rRNA-encoding gene sequencing. This is the first report on the occurrence of P. polymyxa, a potent biofertilizer and antagonist in vermicompost. HiCrome Bacillus agar was identified as an effective medium for differentiation of B. subtilis from other Bacillus species. The present work demonstrates the efficacy of the antagonistic property of B. subtilis strains against rubberwood sapstain fungus. Culture-based antagonistic inhibition displayed by B. subtilis can be extended to cater to the biocontrol requirements of wood-based industries against the stain fungus. The study showed the utility of an integrated approach, employing morphological, biochemical and molecular tools for conclusive identification of several bacterial isolates present in aerobic composts from diverse sources.

Sector-based political analysis of energy transition: Green shift in the forest policy regime in France

This article examines energy transition political process from a sector-based approach, through the analysis of recent shift in the French forest policy regime. We demonstrate that, since 2007, energy transition policies have led to a harvesting turn within the French forest policy framework, meaning that priority is given to wood mobilisation, mainly for biomass uses. In addition, our findings suggest that the political authority wielded by the state over forest policy has shifted from forest administrative services to energy agencies and local authorities. Finally, we show that, although implementation of the harvesting turn is a cause of sectoral and inter-sectoral tensions, energy transition challenge also contributes to a process of (re)institutionalisation of mediation relationships among forestry stakeholders and wood-based industries representatives. The article concludes by arguing that sectors should retain relevant institutional frameworks for actors when choosing political arrangements required for implementing energy transition policy.