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High Pressure Resination System (LIFE HPRS)
Start date: Jul 1, 2013, End date: Dec 31, 2015 PROJECT FINISHED

Background The woodworking industry accounts for nearly 2% of manufacturing added value in Europe, according to the European Panel Federation. In the engineered wood (EW) segment, a wide range of products is processed and used in many applications, from construction to assembly of furniture. The EW category includes a number of panel types, such as particleboard (PB), medium density fibreboard (MDF), plywood and oriented strand board (OSB). The blending process in the production of these products is a critical manufacturing phase in which resins are used to bind the different types of wood fibre. Currently, the blending process in wood panel manufacturing has an energy consumption of 6 kWh per m3 of wood panel produced per year. Energy is also used in the production of resins â approximately 0.86 kWh per kilogramme of urea-formaldehyde resin. These resins also emit hazardous formaldehyde. Objectives The project aims to reduce resin usage in the panel-production industry. The main objectives are: To demonstrate the environmental, economic and technical benefits of introducing new mechanical technologies that are able to distribute resin particles with a greater efficiency compared to the current blending technologies on the market; and To achieve a reduction in resin usage in the panel-production industry by demonstrating an EW panels production line that uses up to 10% less resin for each mÂ³ of panels. The reduction in resin use will also generate a consistent 5% energy saving in the MDF drying process and 15% energy saving in the blending process. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following: Design and implementation of a fully functional pilot line that conforms to all energy consumption and safety standards required according by European and national laws; Manufacturing of three batches of 500 m3 wood panel prototypes, which will be tested according to the lifecycle assessment ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 standards; A 10% reduction in emissions of volatile substances for each mÂ³ of panels; A 15% reduction in energy consumption in the blending process and a 5% reduction in energy consumption in the MDF drying process; Validation of the pre-pilot line; and Validation of the prototypes.