Background The increasing demand for recycled wood to produce particleboard and MDF (medium-density fibreboard) panels has led to the need to improve the process of cleaning post-consumer wood (e.g. pallets, wood packaging material, demolition waste, used furniture) to eliminate plastic impurities more effectively and efficiently. Currently, MDF panels are mainly obtained from virgin wood and only a small number of producers use post-consumer recycled wood (some 10%, according to a study carried out by the project beneficiary). A number of factors currently limit wider use of recycled wood, including: The inefficiency and complexity of the process of removing impurities (multiple steps); The low-quality of MDF panels made from recycled wood and the fact that they are not compliant with the EPF Standard and EN 622-5; and The lack of effective systems for removing impurities. Objectives The project will demonstrate the viability of an energy-efficient pilot plant that is able to finely separate post-consumer recycled wood from plastic impuritiesro enable its use, firstly, in manufacturing MDF panels and, secondly, as ‘purified’ biomass. Project actions will involve the implementation of a system to produce more sustainable and affordable MDF panels containing up to 60% of post-consumer recycled wood, and which is compliant with EN 622-5 and EPF Standards. The ‘purified’ post-consumer wood products will be suitable as biomass for energy production and have a reduced dioxin level during combustion. Other benefits from the new process will include a reduction in the use of virgin wood, (supporting non deforestation agendas) and a prolongation of the lifecycle of recycled wood (reducing landfill demands). New job opportunities from the process will become more likely following its validation as a commercially viable business venture. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following results: Development of an energy efficient pilot plant, replicable on a modular scale in other EU companies that can clean post-consumer recycled wood, removing up to 95% of plastic impurities. ‘Purified’ wood outputs will be used primarily to produce high quality MDF panels and secondarily as biomass to produce energy; Reduction of virgin wood usage, limiting de-forestation and prolonging the recovered wood lifecycle. In the proposed demonstration, the pilot plant will replace 60% of virgin wood with the ‘purified’ wood (some 78 tonnes/day), which corresponds to 40 trees fewer cut per day from EU forests (some 9 600 trees per year), sequestering approximately 88 tonnes of CO2 per day; Increase the percentage of recycled wood in MDF panels from the current 5-10% up to 50-60%. This will lead to the mobilisation of 3.5 million tonnes of post-consumer recycled wood in Europe, with an economic saving of some €105 million, assuming a conservative estimation of 30 €/tonnes of savings, when the costs of virgin wood purchase, logistics and industrial processes are taken into account; Using the ‘purified’ wood as biomass will mean a 1% reduction of dioxin emissions from plastic combustion; Demonstration of the project concept as replicable, modular and scalable, providing an affordable and sustainable business model for replication after the LIFE funding period. A lifecycle/cost analysis and socio-economic assessment will be produced to support and bolster this result; and Supporting the creation of efficient recovery and recycling circuits and markets for post-consumer wood, through increased transparency and implementation of better links among wood users and the recovery circuits.