REusing COnstruction Wood through a common EuRopean Standard

Project Information

RECOWERS

Grant agreement ID: 101025786

DOI

10.3030/101025786

Project closed

EC signature date 11 March 2021

Start date 1 January 2022

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 160 932,48

EU contribution

€ 160 932,48

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RECOWERS (REusing COnstruction Wood through a common EuRopean Standard)

Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Due to sustainability concerns, it is essential to reduce and recycle waste in accordance with Circular Economy principles. The construction and demolition sector generates a significant amount of wood waste, including timber that could be reused or recycled for structural purposes. Timber intended for structural applications must undergo prior grading according to established standards. However, existing standards designed for new timber are unsuitable for recovered timber, hindering its reuse and subsequently contributing to increased timber waste. Therefore, to enhance the reuse of timber, a new standard should be developed specifically for recovered timber. This standardization will also boost the market for recovered timber contributing to a more sustainable planet.
The primary objectives of the RECOWERS project are to develop a grading system for recovered timber integrated into Circular Economy policies, incorporating new technologies. The project aims to validate the grading system with various wood species and across different European countries. Ultimately, the goal is to establish a European standard for grading recovered timber.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

From data available in previous Spanish research studies, a draft grading system for recovered timber was designed. This system was improved in collaboration with a Slovenian researcher and validated with softwoods and hardwoods from various European sources and companies. New technology, such as infrared thermography, was adapted to estimate recovered timber density and validated with hardwood timber. The grading system was successfully designed based on very affordable technology to be accessible for both big and small companies.

After several meetings with European standardization committees, it was concluded that, in order to develop a standard from the grading system, a new framework different from the current one should be created to allocate the recovered timber grading system. The results were disseminated through free publications and conferences. They were also communicated to last-year students, international masters, and professionals studying a Timber Construction master through a dedicated blog [https://recowers.wordpress.com/] and Instagram account (@recowers_project). Results will be presented in June 2024 at the Forum Holzbau Pamplona, the largest timber construction industry event in Spain.

A main result of the project was the inclusion of recovered timber grading as a requirement for European standardization in the next 5 years. Currently, a process is open to harmonizing European standards according to ACQUIS objectives. Due to the project, recovered timber grading was included as an objective.

Starting in April 2024, a new European ForestValue2 project called TiReX, involving Spain, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Poland, and Slovenia, will expand the research needs to finally create a European standard.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project had a high impact in creating a cornerstone for developing a recovered timber market in the near future. With the inclusion of the need for recovered timber grading in the harmonized standards and the new European project TiReX, confidence in reusing timber was established in European committees where scientists and industry collaborate to develop more sustainable production systems. The project also instilled the idea, during high-school talks, science week events, and among university students, that buildings should be recycled, just like other materials such as glass and cans. For the industry, it is creating a profit in reusing and recycling timber.

Recovered Oak in Spain