| Summary: |
The increase of the world demand for wood-based panels and the sustainable use of forest resources are driving to the use of wood from different sources/species, with particular emphasis for the sawmill residues and more recently recycled wood. In Portugal, due to the shortage of raw materials, Sonae Indústria has been implementing strategies for the sustainable use of forest resources through the use of other species, as eucalyptus, and recycled wood.
This situation drives to the increase of the raw-material variability, which requires a more rigorous control of the processes in order to comply with product specifications.
The aim of this project is the optimization of the hot-pressing operation of particleboard towards a higher standard of eco-efficiency and quality. For that purpose, experiments in a pilot scale press will be carried out and prediction models will be developed, which will permit the correct scheduling of the pressing operation at industrial scale. |