Open Collections

Jahani, Salma

University of British Columbia

The conventional disposal method of wood waste is either landfilling, typically done for C&D waste, or incineration for energy production, which is common for sawmill residues, harvesting residues, and small-diameter non-merchantable trees. Recycling of wood waste to produce value-added products, such as engineered panels, is a waste management practice that reduces emissions, wastes, and the land needed for landfilling. Conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) can help realize these benefits. The life cycle of utilizing wood waste to produce value-added products includes various activities that are emission-intensive. Unlike most studies on the LCA of wood products, which focus on using virgin wood or a single source of wood waste, in this thesis, a life cycle assessment is conducted with a cradle-to-grave scope, considering three different sources of wood waste: C&D waste, sawmill residues, and small-diameter non-merchantable trees. The research utilizes the Attributional Life Cycle Assessment (ALCA) method using the SimaPro software. The TRACI tool is applied in this study for the production of structural engineered wood panels in a potential location in California. The assessment includes two stages: a cradle-to-gate analysis (Objective 1), which covers processes from the collection of wood waste up to panel production and packaging, and a cradle-to-grave analysis (Objective 2), which also covers the distribution of final products, installation, usage, and demolition, assuming a 75-year building lifespan. Results show that the cradle-to-gate stage generates 321 kg CO₂ eq. per tonne of panels, with resin production and manufacturing processes accounting for most of the emissions. The gate-to-grave stage emits an additional 185 kg CO₂ eq., primarily due to house demolition, bringing the total emissions for the cradle-to-grave scope to 506 kg CO₂ eq. In comparison, incineration and landfilling produce significantly higher emissions (1,610.5 kg CO₂ eq.). The results also indicate that processes in the manufacturing plant have the highest impact across all categories except for ozone depletion, accounting for 48% of global warming potential, 92% of acidification, 80% of eutrophication, and 96% of smog formation. From these results, it is concluded that recycling of wood waste for wood panel production is environmentally better than conventional disposal methods.

Text

2024-12-19

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89946

Forestry

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/