by Web Editor | Jun 25, 2018 | News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new federal formaldehyde emissions regulations took effect on June 1st, 2018. As of this date all composite wood products must be certified as compliant with these regulations.The EPA defines composite wood products here as both domestic and imported particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and hardwood (decorative) plywood.
Structural engineered wood products made for construction applications are exempt from this regulation, including structural plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), wood I-joists, laminated veneer lumber, and glued-laminated timber. All of these products are manufactured with low-emitting, moisture-resistant adhesives in accordance with existing product standards and building codes, according to The Engineered Wood Association (APA).
For quick reference, structural engineered wood products marked with the APA Mark of Quality are considered exempt from the new regulations. If unmarked products from APA member mills are sold into applications that do not require a certification mark, the product invoice and an APA certificate of conformance can be used to identify the product as exempt.
The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act was signed by President Barack Obama on July 7th, 2010, based on the Air Toxic Control Measure developed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The first phase of regulation rollout, now in effect, allows for compliance with either the CARB ATCM Phase II or the U.S. EPA TSCA Title VI. Starting March 22nd, 2019, only the U.S. EPA TSCA Title VI will be permitted as a path to compliance.
From Builder: https://www.builderonline.com/building/regulation-policy/structural-engineered-wood-products-exempt-from-new-epa-formaldehyde-regulations_o
by Web Editor | Oct 30, 2017 | News
Oregon and Southwest Washington are well-positioned to become a manufacturing hub for cross-laminated timber — an innovative building product sometimes called “plywood on steroids” — according to a new study prepared by Oregon BEST.
The 110-page analysis found Oregon has the potential to create 2,000 to 6,100 direct jobs making cross-laminated timber and related mass timber products, which use adhesives and layered wood to create massive panels used as walls, floors and roofs, or beams. Mid-rise office and residential buildings are now being made with CLT, providing a dramatically lower carbon footprint than buildings using concrete and steel. Some high-rise projects using CLT are in the works.
Studies show CLT also cuts costs, mostly because construction takes less time. That cost advantage is projected to grow. “The cost of wood as a building material and as the raw material for CLT is expected to stay stable in the near future, while concrete and steel prices are forecast to raise with their relative energy prices and carbon costs,” the report states.
Oregon BEST, which commissioned the study along with partners, is a state-supported nonprofit that works closely with academia to nurture the state’s clean-tech industry.
CLT was developed in Europe, and European and Canadian companies got into the field before their U.S. counterparts. But D.R. Johnson became the first U.S. company certified to manufacture CLT in 2015, and is making it at its Southern Oregon plant in Riddle.
From Sustainable Life: https://pamplinmedia.com/sl/376727-262480-plywood-on-steroids-holds-great-potential-for-oregon-economy-environment
by Web Editor | Aug 30, 2017 | News
Engineered wood is also known as man-made wood or composite wood, and these are quite popular in recent times due to their cost effective and ecofriendly properties. These woods are formed of composite materials manufactured by binding the strands, fibers and particles all together with the help of suitable adhesives. These engineered woods can be made by utilizing wastes such as sawmill waste, rice straw, sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw and other wood wastes thus making them cost effective and environmentally friendly. Engineered wood is mainly used as a substitute to hardwood and concrete.
In many construction building projects, the products of engineered wood are used as an alternative of steel in beams. One of the advantages offered by engineered wood products is that it can be designed as per the demand and custom specifications of the end user. The main users of engineered wood products are construction developers, architects, designers etc. Promotion of green life and regulations concerning deforestation has led the global engineered wood market to expand with a decent pace.
Government norms and regulations such as Bharat stage emission standards or European emission standards regarding CO2 emissions are driving the market for engineered wood at whole different level. Owing to the factors like cost efficiency, enhanced quality, waste reduction and environmentally friendly nature, the engineered wood market is expected to witness significant growth in the market. There are certain innovations in the technologies and machining systems have been developed in order to improve the efficiency and quality of the products which are expected to further drive growth of the market.
Although the global engineered wood market has potential opportunities in the future still the manufacturers of engineered wood products face some challenges regarding durability and fire resistant properties of engineered wood products. There are certain adhesives like Urea-formaldehyde used in the manufacturing of engineered wood products which are quite toxic. Also some products such as particleboard may not be suitable for outdoor use as they are more prone to humidity. The ongoing developments regarding advanced grading and better material selection techniques is expected to result in improved definition of timber quality and efficient performance of the products.
From LANEWS.org: https://www.lanews.org/growing-industrialization-will-influence-the-engineered-wood-market-growth-2017-2027/
by Web Editor | Sep 19, 2016 | News
New Zealand Researchers Develop New Adhesive For Engineered Wood
Scion’s environmentally-friendly bioadhesives technology was awarded Biotechnology of the Year at NZBIO’s annual conference recently. Dr. Will Barker, Chief Executive of NZBIO, said “the technology is a game changer for wood panel manufacturers”.
The Scion bioadhesives team, led by Warren Grigsby, has developed a world first 100 percent biobased adhesive and resins for engineered wood products. Made from natural sources, such as forestry and agricultural waste, these adhesives and resins are petrochemical-free, have very low formaldehyde emissions and can be made and used in existing manufacturing operations.
“We are thrilled to receive this award. It’s a great acknowledgement. We’ve spent years mixing and matching assorted ingredients to come up with right recipe. This is the icing on the cake,” says Warren.
The technology, which has been over seven years in the making, has been trademarked and patented as ‘Ligate’. “The ‘green’ credentials of Ligate products will provide manufacturers with a competitive advantage over wood processors using conventional petrochemical-based adhesives and resins.
“Adhesives and resins made from natural sources have a lower environmental footprint and are considered more socially acceptable than their traditional formaldehyde-based counterparts,” says Warren. The technology has already attracted international interest, and next week Warren travels to Europe to further profile the technology at two international conferences.
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by Web Editor | Jun 29, 2015 | News
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “North America Urea Formaldehyde Resin Market by Application (Particleboard, Medium Density Fiberboard, Plywood, Molding Powder, Adhesives & Coating, Roofing Mat), by Country (U.S., Canada, Rest of North America) – Analysis & Forecast to 2019” report to their offering.
The value of the North America UFR market was $714.6 million in 2014 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2014 to 2019.
The study provides the value chain analysis with respect to UFR raw materials, manufacturers, and end-users. The value chain describes the key contributors to the materials market at different stages from product development to end use. It represents the key players who are contributing to the growth of the North America UFR market.
The impacts of different market factors, such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities are also illustrated in the report. This gives an idea about the key drivers, such as developing furniture industry, rising demand for wood-based panels, rising population, and growing infrastructure industry; and restraints, such as UFR’s toxic emission property, which has influenced major countries to put UFR under stringent regulations.
The UFR market is also classified on the basis of applications. The important applications include particleboard, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), plywood, molding powder, adhesives and coating, and roofing mat, among others. The particleboard segment held the largest share of the UFR market in North America, in terms of consumption.
From Business Wire: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150625006183/en/Research-Markets-North-America-Urea-Formaldehyde-Resin#.VZGCNKaDrwc
