Conventional Low-density Particleboards Produced With Particles From Mauritia Flexuosa and Eucalyptus Spp. Wood

The use of alternative raw materials to produce particleboards is an interesting strategy to add value to lignocellulosic biomass and diversify the forest products industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for using Mauritia flexuosa particles in association with Eucalyptus spp. wood for the production of particleboards. Prior to the production of the panels, the raw materials were evaluated for basic density and chemical composition. The panels were produced with particles of Eucalyptus spp. and Mauritia flexuosa in mass proportions of 100/0%, 90/10%, 80/20%, 70/30% and 60/40%, respectively. The quality of the particleboards was evaluated by water absorption and thickness swelling, internal bonding and static bending tests. As Eucalyptus spp. particles were replaced by Mauritia flexuosa, the panels showed less dimensional stability, due to the fact that the compression ratio increased due to the lower density of Mauritia flexuosa particles. The substitution of 1% of Mauritia flexuosa particles caused a reduction of 10.49 MPa for MOE, 0.09 MPa for MOR and 0.01 MPa for internal bonding. The results demonstrate that it is feasible to replace up to 17.5% of Eucalyptus spp. wood with particles from Mauritia flexuosa so that the panels have physical and mechanical properties appropriate to the marketing standards.

Impacts of Infectious Disease Outbreaks on Firm Performance and Risk: The Forest Industries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

We examine the financial performance of the forest products industry in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, employing data for publicly trading companies in the industry globally. We first examine the market investor reaction to the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 by conducting an event-study analysis. Then, we analyze medium-term changes in stock returns and their systematic risk by an econometric estimation of the capital asset pricing model. Our event-study analysis of the forest products industry shows that the forestry subsector was impacted more than the paper subsector when the WHO declared the pandemic. The effect was most prominent in North America. We find that the systematic risk for the forestry subsector tended to increase during 2020, until October. Again, this effect was most clear in North America. Conversely, the impact on the paper subsector was more stable.

Study of effect of waste tire rubber which is a recycling material in production of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) boards

The amount of waste produced by people increases with the increasing population in the world. Especially non-recyclable wastes have become a major environmental problem. Waste tires that emerge as car demands of people increase are one of the non-recyclable wastes. In this study, the usage possibilities of powder rubbers obtained from waste car tires were examined in the production of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) boards, which are preferred as furniture and decoration material in the forest products industry. For this, three different tree species (Scotch Pine— Pinus silvestris L., Oriental Beech— Fagus orientalis L., Stinking Juniper— Juniperus foetidissima Wild.) and two different types of glue (UF and PVAc glues) were used. Waste tire rubbers (WTR) were mixed into the glue in different proportions (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%). Physical (full dry and equilibrium moisture density, contraction in the transversal and longitudinal direction) and mechanical tests (MoR, MoE, bonding resistance) were performed on the LVL samples prepared. According to the results obtained, it has been seen that the mixtures of 10% and 20% WTR increase the LVL resistance. An eco-friendly building material has been obtained by using WTR produced from waste car tires in production of LVL.

Sustainable forest management and forest products industry development in Ethiopia

The objective of this study was to examine existing knowledge on forest products development and to promote sustainable forest management in Ethiopia. Furthermore, the paper aimed to assess the development and status of Ethiopia's forest products industry in terms of resource base, manufacturing and marketing. It was found that the current annual fuelwood consumption is about 133M m3, with 90% of cooking energy obtained from woody biomass. Wood consumption for primary and secondary forest products manufacturing is expected to increase from the current 112M m3 to 158M m3 by 2033. This review reveals that the development and innovation of a sustainable forest products industry in Ethiopia should balance the production and ecological functions of forest resources. To meet Ethiopia's primary and secondary forest products needs, it is recommended that a clear policy framework be advanced and promoted, including wood technology, forest science and education, silviculture, and post-plantation management practices.

Does Forest Industries in China Become Cleaner? A Prospective of Embodied Carbon Emission

Forests and the forest products industry contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in biomass, and by fabricating products that substitute other, more greenhouse-gas-emission-intensive materials and energy. This study investigates primary wood-working industries (panel, furniture, pulp and paper) in order to determine the development of carbon emissions in China during the last two decades. The input–output approach is used and the factors driving the changes in CO2 emissions are analyzed by Index Decomposition Analysis–Log Mean Divisia Index (LMDI). The results show that carbon emissions in forest product industries have been declining during the last twenty years and that the driving factor of this change is the energy intensity of production and economic input, which have changed dramatically.