Project description
Giving toxic wood waste a second life
Preservative-treated wood, which is used to extend the life of outdoor structures, is difficult to recycle due to its contamination with pesticides, biocides, and heavy metals. This so-called grade C wood waste is typically incinerated or landfilled, posing serious risks to the environment and human health. As EU initiatives like the New European Bauhaus drive demand for wood, the volume of such waste is expected to grow. With this in mind, the EU-funded WoodTreat project will develop automated systems to identify and sort contaminated wood. It will test a cascade of seven remediation and upcycling methods. Overall, the project aims to reduce virgin material use, cut pollution, and create new value-added products.
Objective
According to today’s practice, wood waste is roughly classified into three or four classes, depending on the country. The most polluted grade, often referred to as grade C or AIII/AIV, consists of preservative-treated wood, i.e. wood that has been impregnated with chemicals (pesticides, biocides and fungicides) to enhance its bio-resistance. Grade C or AIII/AIV is not currently recycled. The increased use of wood as encouraged by initiatives like the New European Bauhaus is likely to require additional volumes of preservative-treated wood. Even though such treatments extend the service life of wood products, they will still eventually become waste and must be dealt with. Wood preservation compounds pose a significant threat to not only the environment but also to human health, and therefore it is needed to develop efficient remediation technologies. At the same time, current recycling processes are greatly complicated by the presence of pollutants (chemical treatment products, heavy metals), which calls for further research on cleaning methods. As grade C comprises of several types of wood types and products, along with different levels of contamination, this poses a complex problem that needs action from both the circular economy and non-toxic environment fields. The development of an automated on-line characterization system to distinguish chemically contaminated wood waste has become a high priority. Gaps in existing regulations should be considered as may not fully support the use of upcycled wood materials from such waste streams. IN2WOOD proposes a multi-dimensional cascade approach for highly polluted post-consumer wood waste via a series of seven Pilot Validation Trials (PVTs) with aim to reduce the demand for virgin materials, reduce unsustainable options such as landfilling or incineration, and support the transition towards a circular economy by developing new value-added products from clean secondary materials.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries forestry
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.6.6 - Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
750 07 Uppsala
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.