Eco-Friendly Innovations: Advancing Sustainability in Home Furniture Materials
In our pursuit of a greener tomorrow, it is imperative to consider sustainable solutions in all facets of our lives, including furniture design. Home storage, while a functional necessity, also plays a vital role in preserving the lifespan of our beloved objects. Amidst the diverse array of materials and designs available on the market, my focus is on a renewable and low-carbon footprint option, namely engineered wood, particularly plywood. Plywood is already a popular choice for home organizers, given its durability, flexibility, and affordability. However, it begs the question — how can we improve upon this material? By delving into the advantages of plywood and its compatibility with furniture manufacturing and design, we can make conscious decisions towards sustainable living without compromising style and function.
Is Plywood A Sustainable Material? Exploring the Sustainability of Different Manufacturing Processes
Properties Comparative Analysis
Plywood’s renewable properties and low energy production make it a sustainable resource that replenishes quickly, in contrast to non-renewable materials.
Plywood, an engineered wood made by laminating layers of wood with synthetic resin, is a versatile and sustainable material that has transformed the furniture industry. Unlike solid wood, it is more flexible and desirable in design and manufacturing due to its finished raw material. It is an affordable and durable material that is resistant to shrinking, making it a long-lasting and practical choice for home organizers. Plywood is widely available, and its density allows for a broader range of commercial creations than other materials, such as bamboo and hardwood. Additionally, its self-assembled and detachable components make it easy to construct and transport, adding to its practicality and convenience. In conclusion, plywood is a reliable and efficient material that is suitable for a range of furniture, including home organizers.
Emission Comparative Analysis
Plywood has a 17 times lower CO2 footprint than aluminum and almost six times lower in energy production.
Granta analysis has identified plywood as a top choice among renewable and nonrenewable materials, boasting natural features that minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Plywood’s renewable properties and low energy production make it a sustainable resource that replenishes quickly, in contrast to non-renewable materials. Its potential to be sourced and manufactured locally, coupled with a simple construction method, also significantly reduces transportation costs.
Non-renewable materials like Aluminum and Stainless Steel for home organizers have higher energy consumption and CO2 footprint than plywood. In the exact weight of material production, plywood has a 17 times lower CO2 footprint than aluminum and almost six times lower in energy production. At the same time, Polypropylene(PP) and Stainless Steel have a similar amount of energy in production.
Identifying Areas for Environmental Improvement in Its Life Cycle
Compositing has the highest percentage contribution in emisson, compared to the other six processes in plywood production: debarking, drying, clipping, hot pressing, trimming, and sanding.
Plywood is a trusted and widely used material in the furniture and construction industries due to its durability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. However, examining the process of producing plywood in life cycle analysis is crucial for potential environmental implications.
The research of the College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, shows that compositing has the highest percentage contribution in Abiotic Depletion Potential(ADP), 82.36%, and Freshwater Eutrophication (EP), 60.55%, compared to the other six processes in plywood production: debarking, drying, clipping, hot pressing, trimming, and sanding. In addition, the number of fossil fuels and the use of phenolic formaldehyde in the stage affected the portion of ADP. In contrast, EP is mainly due to NOX emissions during energy production. The research suggested that the process has a considerable amount of emission and by-product output as well, such as Benzene, Formaldehyde, CO2, SO2, and VOCs.
Compositing Process
The technique intends to create a more extensive and denser sheet of plywood by attaching, layering, and gluing. The operation begins with grading the dried veneer from the previous process, then cutting diagonal grooves to sheets at an angle, scarf joint process. So, each piece can overlap firmly and form a more vast single layer. At this stage, they are also segregated as the face, core, or back veneers. The face is the surface that is to be used or seen.[7] Followed by the patching process to make an even look throughout the sheet, the gluing method is applied by a mechanical glue spreader once the sheets are appropriately formed. Surface roughness plays an essential role in attribute improvement. It enhances the depth of adhesive penetration into the veneer, uniform distribution of adhesive, and glue line strength between veneers.[9] Further, the adhesive layer should stay at a particular time to ensure the adhesive immerses evenly. The general or typical type, urea-formaldehyde resins, is commonly used, whereas melamine or phenol-based adhesives are used in Marine plywood.[7] Each sheet is laminated at a different angle to create a cross-graining technique, resulting in stronger plywood.
Exploring Potential Improvements
A sustainable alternative adhesive option would reduce the harmful value in operation(compositing process) and become entirely biodegradable.
Various factors can influence the sustainability aspect of product improvement. Even though plywood has a low energy consumption and CO2 footprint emission compared to other products, It can reduce or substitute the toxic output in the production process. For instance, It can replace with bio-adhesive material like phenolic resin instead of phenolic resin formaldehyde adhesive and reduce the design’s volume.
Substituting Synthetic Resin with Bio-based Alternatives
The phenolic formaldehyde adhesive has been used in the compositing process of plywood, whereas its Abiotic Depletion Potential and Freshwater Eutrophication value are highest among the other methods. In the environment, phenolic formaldehyde contributes to global warming by polluting the air and water quality. So, a sustainable alternative adhesive option would reduce the harmful value in operation and become entirely biodegradable. Over the past decade, researchers have replaced phenol and formaldehyde with sustainable materials such as lignin, tannin, cardanol, hydroxymethylfurfural, and glyoxal to produce bio-based PF resin.[14] Bio-based phenolic resin is a promising bio-adhesive option that is viable in various products. Bio-based adhesive derived from renewable defatted soy flour (DSF) and epichlorohydrin (ECH) is another substitute adhesive.[15]
Reducing Material Volume
In the pursuit of sustainability, even small design changes can have significant impacts. One such improvement is the reduction of volume, achieved by minimizing the layers of the compositing sheet of plywood. By reducing the layer count from six to four or lower, volume can be reduced by 10% or more. This may seem like a small adjustment, but it can significantly impact the product's overall environmental footprint. Every effort towards sustainability counts, and exploring all avenues for improvement is imperative.
Validating Environmental Impact Reduction
ISO can determine the validity of the new bio-adhesive plywood in terms of environmental impact and property. Formaldehyde emission can be tested by the standard EN-ISO 12460–4. It is the process of verifying the amount of substance released in the test water distillation within 24 hours.
The toxicity of the substance can be evaluated using different taxonomic groups of marine living. Test organisms included mixed bacterial culture, unicellular green algae Scenedesmus quadricauda (Turp.) Breb., crustacea Daphnia pulex de Geer (daphnids), and fish Oncorhynchus mykiss Call, 1990 (rainbow trout)[16]. Even though Fish and crustacea are the most sensitive species, variations of organisms can be observed in sensitivity experiments.
Sustainable Utilization of Plywood By-Products
Composting
In Australia, the plywood is shredded and mixed with green waste to create a self-decompose for several months. The plywood compost’s overall quality was sufficient for various practical uses.[12] It can be used as gardening soil, landscaping, erosion control, and animal bedding. [13]
Domestic Energy Consumption
In Nigeria, domestic energy consumption still depends on deforestation for biomass materials; the by-product of plywood can be used as briquettes and pellets.[3] The pellets are typically made from compressed plywood waste with other sawdust binding agents and form in a different shape accordingly. With a high demand for timber and coal for energy, wood waste briquettes can be an alternative for household cooking, generating electricity, water heating, and more.
Plywood, a versatile and sustainable material, has revolutionized the furniture industry with its durability and flexibility in design and manufacturing. However, the compositing process used to create plywood has potential environmental impacts that must be considered. To address this issue, designers are exploring improvements such as using bio-based resins, reducing the number of layers in the compositing process, and finding new uses for plywood waste. Additionally, the plywood industry is exploring ways to repurpose waste and by-products, such as using shredded plywood as compost for gardening or creating briquettes and pellets for energy consumption in areas such as Nigeria. With these efforts, the plywood industry can continue to evolve toward a greener future.
citation
[1]R. A. Ilyas, S. M. Sapuan, M. R. Ishak, and E. S. Zainudin, “Development and characterization of sugar palm nanocrystalline cellulose reinforced sugar palm starch bionanocomposites,” Carbohydrate Polymers, vol. 202, pp. 186–202, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.09.002.
[2]L. Jia, J. Chu, L. Ma, X. Qi, and A. Kumar, “Life Cycle Assessment of Plywood Manufacturing Process in China,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 16, no. 11, p. 2037, Jun. 2019, doi: 10.3390/ijerph16112037.
[3]J. Owoyemi, H. Zakariya, and I. Elegbede, “Management of Sawmill Wastes in Nigeria: Case Study of Minna, Niger State,” Sustainable wood waste management in Nigeria, pp. 034–041, Feb. 2013, doi: 10.15580/gjsetr.2013.2.012413407.
[4]C. Cambero and T. Sowlati, “Assessment and optimization of forest biomass supply chains from economic, social and environmental perspectives — A review of literature,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 36, pp. 62–73, Aug. 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.04.041.
[5]R. Réh et al., “Utilization of Birch Bark as an Eco-Friendly Filler in Urea-Formaldehyde Adhesives for Plywood Manufacturing,” Polymers, vol. 13, no. 4, p. 511, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.3390/polym13040511.
[6]V. Subramaniam, A. Mokhtar, S. Ahmad, H. Muhamad, and I. Sahid, “Life Cycle Inventory for Palm Based Plywood: A Gate-to-Gate Case Study,” 2013.
[7]UPM Plywood, “About plywood,” WISA PLYWOOD, 2018. https://www.wisaplywood.com/products/about-plywood/
[8]P. Jones, “How is Plywood Made — FA Mitchell,” FA Mitchell, Aug. 18, 2016. https://www.famitchell.com.au/how-is-plywood-made/
[9]P. Bekhta, S. Hiziroglu, and O. Shepelyuk, “Properties of plywood manufactured from compressed veneer as building material,” Materials & Design, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 947–953, Apr. 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.matdes.2008.07.001.
[10]APA — The Engineered Wood Association, “(BS)EN 326–1. Sampling & cutting of test pieces & inspection,” APA — The Engineered Wood Association, Oct. 09, 2012. https://apawood-europe.org/official-guidelines-3/individual-standards/en-326-1/ (accessed Dec. 08, 2022).
[11]International Organization for Standardization, “ISO 12460–4:2016(en) Wood-based panels — Determination of formaldehyde release,” Iso.org, 2022. https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:12460:-4:ed-2:v1:en
[12]L. B. P. Ltd, “Composting Plywood: from by-product to productivity,” Like Butter Pty Ltd. https://likebutter.com.au/blogs/butter-blog/composting-plywood (accessed Dec. 08, 2022).
[13]J. Synclair, “Should you recycle old wood? Yes, if you care about the environment.,” FA Mitchell, Jan. 15, 2019. https://www.famitchell.com.au/can-old-plywood-be-recycled/
[14]P. R. Sarika, P. Nancarrow, A. Khansaheb, and T. Ibrahim, “Bio-Based Alternatives to Phenol and Formaldehyde for the Production of Resins,” Polymers, vol. 12, no. 10, p. 2237, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.3390/polym12102237.
[15]N. Chen, Q. Lin, P. Zheng, J. Rao, Q. Zeng, and J. Sun, “A sustainable bio-based adhesive derived from defatted soy flour and epichlorohydrin,” Wood Science and Technology, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 801–817, May 2019, doi: 10.1007/s00226–019–01102–2.
[16]T. TIŠLER, “COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF TOXICITY OF PHENOL, FORMALDEHYDE, AND INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TO AQUATIC ORGANISMS,” Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, vol. 97, no. 3/4, pp. 315–322, 1997, doi: 10.1023/a:1026472313561.
[17]U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Emission Factors: Plywood Manufacturing,” Jan. 2002.
