PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The European furniture and construction industries are currently facing serious environmental challenges. Products made from medium density fibreboard (MDF) that emit formaldehyde are still being extensively produced. Large amounts of wood-based waste are being generated in Europe, with around 60 million tonnes produced in 2014 alone. However, the wood fibres forming the MDF are combined with a binder of urea formaldehyde (UF), making it difficult to recycle products at the end of their life. Less than 10% of board producers use post-consumer recycled fibres for manufacturing MDF. Formaldehyde is a well-recognised hazardous carcinogen and skin-sensitising agent.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE B3 FURN project aims to market the first formaldehyde-free wood panel made from 100% recycled material that is 100% recyclable at end of life and equal in performance to conventionally produced MDF. The project will scale-up and upgrade the current process of making recyclable formaldehyde-free wood-based panels for furniture and construction, the so called B3 Board, using the bio-based FiberLean MFC as binder. This process has been demonstrated the first time by FLTL (FiberLean Technologies Limited) on a pilot scale (TRL6).
Specially, the project aims to:
- Demonstrate the scalability of the technology by installing a demonstration plant producing 950k m2/year of B3 Board with a surface quality equal to conventional MDF;
- Optimise the B3 Board upgraded production process by defining and fine-tuning the optimal process parameters to run the demonstration line in order to deliver B3 Board with the required mechanical properties (according to EN 622, progressing from TRL6 to TRL8);
- Validate the B3 Board performances under an end-use perspective, assessing B3 Board properties, confirming the surface compatibility with high-grade treatments required by the furniture market (e.g. lamination, veneering and lacquering), and demonstrating the B3 Board usability as a furniture component;
- Validate the life cycle sustainability of the B3 Board production process by means of a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) that considers a broad range of impact categories covering potential GHG emissions, depletion of resources and eco- and human toxicity aspects;
- Ensure continuation, replication and transfer of the project results, by engaging relevant stakeholders, outlining and implementing a sound commercialisation strategy, and developing an updated version of the business plan for the full-scale commercialisation of the solution;
- Increase awareness of the LIFE B3 FURN solution among the general public, policy-makers and furniture and construction industries, focusing on the environmental, social and economic benefits as well as on the technical feasibility of the LIFE B3 FURN process.
LIFE B3 FURN contributes to the objectives of the Waste and Resource Efficiency priority areas of the LIFE Programme and is aligned with EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy, the Roadmap for a Resource-Efficient Europe and the 7th Environmental Action Plan (EAP). The project also contributes to the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability as well as the new European Green Deal.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Demonstration plant set-up for the B3 Board production, upgrading the existing SUN pilot plant to TRL 8 through the installation of a heating system, a calendaring system and a drying system
- B3 Board capacity production increased from 300k m2/year to 950k m2/year
- B3 Board production cost reduction from €10.30/ m2 to €7.50/ m2
- B3 Board surface quality and mechanical properties, such as strength, density, moisture content and water absorption, equal to conventional MDF according to:
- Increased thickness of the B3 Board from 11 to 18 mm,
- Compatibility with high-grade treatments required by the furniture market (lamination, veneering and lacquering).
- Reduction by up to 7.7 kt of paper and cardboard waste and reduction of the use of virgin sources by using recycled materials;
- Emissions saving of up to 7.8 kt CO2eq due to the recycling of paper and cardboard as B3 Board component material instead of landfilling of burning, calculated as the reduction due to the 300k m2 (7.7 kt) of the B3 Board produced in the demo plant in the last six months of the project.
