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A. BACKGROUND
Wood products in Europe (1): Europe currently produces and consumes the roundwood equivalent of approximately 400 million m3 of wood products. It is estimated that more than 3% of the European working population work in wood production and wood processing industries and approximately 2 million people work in the wood working industries (2). In addition, most of the jobs in this sector are in rural areas. Moreover, wood is the only industrial material that is virtually CO2 neutral, renewable, recyclable and can be burned to release stored (solar) energy.
The amount of wood felled and extracted from European forests will increase by approximately 14% from 1990 to 2010. In the same period demand for all wood products (solid wood, wood-based panel products and pulp and paper) has been predicted to grow by 82%. This difference in growth rates means that wood will have to be used more efficiently, for higher added value uses and with less waste. Improved drying of wood is one way, which these aims can be achieved. Drying of wood: The relationship between wood and moisture is one of the most important research areas in wood technology. For example:
- wet wood is weaker and less stiff than dry wood;
(1) Forest products include solid wood products, pulp and paper products and energy.
(2) Pers. comm. CEI-Bois.
- wet wood is infected by moulds and fungi;
- wood shrinks and swells as it dries and becomes wet (this can lead to splitting and deformation if not controlled).
Wood needs to be dried in a controlled manner. It must be dried to its "in-service" moisture content without drying defects if it is to be used effectively.
In the past, solid wood was "air dried" in open or roofed stacks. This could take more than a year for some non-permeable species. While some very high value solid wood is still air dried, most "industrial" solid wood is dried in heated air (kiln drying). In Scandinavia 50- 60% of drying is done in continuous kilns where packets of wood move through different environments in a kiln. In the rest of Europe this is normally done in batch dryers where the conditions in the wood are changed until the wood is dry. In both cases the conventional drying of softwoods takes between one and two weeks. Less permeable hardwoods take longer.
In addition to the drying of solid wood, considerable amounts of wood are dried for wood composites (e.g. plywood veneers, chips for particleboard and OSB and fibres for MDF).
There is also growing interest in the drying of biomass and waste wood for energy production. These all use different combinations of wood and heated air.
Current drying activities: In recent times there have been several attempts to reduce the drying times, for example: high temperature drying; vacuum drying; radio frequency drying, etc. While these accelerated techniques are possible (and are currently being industrially applied), the higher speed of the drying process means that a better understanding of drying and better control of kilns is required if the quality of the end product is to remain acceptable. These attempts to introduce new technology have often met with initial industrial resistance because of the conservative nature of the industry (and, it must be said, failures with previous implementations of new technology).
There is also activity on the standardisation of drying terminology and quality assessment of dried wood in Europe. This is currently being encouraged by the European Drying Group (EDG) which was founded in 1987. In an ongoing EU project (IMCOPCO SMT4-CT95-2023) which involves nine participants from eight countries, several members of the EDG are collaborating to achieve a solid basis for standardised quality assurance systems in Europe in the field of timber drying. This includes improvement of MC measuring systems and kiln drying control systems as well as the development of drying quality control strategies under industrial conditions.
Several countries are researching the fundamental background of heat and mass transfer (moisture) into and out of wood in connection with wood drying. National projects include:
- using developed models of wood drying to design better kilns and improve the kiln drying process (Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France);
- improvement of the technology of continuous timber drying (Finland); COST E15/Annex/en 4
- reduction and/or prevention of colour changes during timber drying (Germany, France);
- improvement of in-line MC measuring systems for better drying quality control (Sweden, Netherlands);
- improvement of drying of fast-growing European softwood species (Ireland);
- application of modern vacuum drying techniques (Denmark, Germany);
- use of steam and superheated steam for drying wood fibres (Germany, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands).
There is also still work going on in Europe on the development and improvement of conventional kiln schedules for "well-known" commercial and "lesser-known" new species. (This could be described as "standard" drying research).
The proposed COST Action: This COST Action will not work on "standard" drying research or on European standardisation of wood drying. These are thought to be better covered elsewhere.
Instead, the Action will concentrate on:
- improved technology and information transfer between research and industry;
- coordinated fundamental research on drying in Europe.
The COST Action will also link together and complement other European activities, such as:
- FAIR activities (improved control and quality of drying is one of the objectives of the 4th Framework Programme);
- SMT activities (e.g. the Imcopco project);
- national activities.
There will also be a link between this project and other COST Actions. For example:
- E8: wood construction is a major user of dried timber and there will be overlaps between fundamental work on movement of moisture and mechano-sorptive creep;
- COST E10: properties of wood fibres could bear relation to fibre drying. Care will be taken to avoid too much overlap between projects.
B. OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS
The main objective of the Action is to improve understanding of the fundamentals of wood drying and to further develop industrial application of all levels of wood drying research.
Combined benefits of the Action
The combined benefits of the Action will be to:
- bring together European researchers on wood drying;
- form and improve links between wood drying researchers and industry (wood drying
and drying installation manufacturers);
- improve fundamental understanding of wood drying processes;
- ultimately to improve the quality and effectiveness of timber drying in Europe.
Specific objectives
The objectives are:
- to determine, update and report on the state of the art in the fundamental knowledge of
wood drying (in all areas);
- to identify fundamental research goals;
- to determine a research plan to achieve these goals;
- set up a forum for wood drying professionals from industry and wood drying researchers;
- to identify the common goals of industry and research;
- to determine a research plan to achieve these goals;
- to initiate projects (national and international) to achieve these goals. Longer-term objectives
- to improve the cost effectiveness, speed and quality of wood drying in Europe;
- to develop a better understanding of wood drying in European species;
- to implement this better understanding of wood drying on an industrial scale.
C. SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME
This COST Action will initially concentrate on two work areas: technology and information transfer; and fundamental research.
1. Technology and information transfer between research and industry
One of the major perceived problems with wood drying in Europe is that on a research
level it is very scientific and technology driven, whereas during industrial implementation it is very applied and problem driven. (There are, of course, exceptions to this generalisation.) In order to try and overcome this perceived problem, a Working Group will bring wood drying researchers and industrial wood drying technologists together. This will have two effects:
(a) it will give industrialists more knowledge of ongoing European research;
(b) it will give scientists more knowledge of day-to-day drying problems.
The scientific programme for this work will encompass:
- the application of new drying techniques in industry (e.g. steam drying, HTD and FTD drying, solar drying, vacuum drying, etc.);
- the improved industrial control of drying and the use of quality feedback control to reduce drying defects;
- reducing colour defects during drying;
- drying of new species and resources;
- improvements in industrial fibre and chip drying;
- drying of biomass for energy;
- pre-selection techniques for wood to be dried;
- environmental aspects (e.g. reducing drying energy and reducing emissions).
The scientific programme will be covered by the following Working Group objectives:
- to set up a forum for wood drying professionals from industry and wood drying researchers;
- to identify the common goals of industry and research;
- to determine a research plan to achieve these goals;
- to initiate projects (national and international) to achieve these goals.
2. Fundamentals of wood drying
While there is considerable fundamental work on wood drying going on in different European wood research laboratories, this work is not coordinated. There is considerable replication of effort at the moment. The aim of this Working Group is to bring these researchers together to improve information transfer, reduce replication and set up collaborative projects.
The scientific programme for this work will encompass:
- moisture movement models;
- heat movement models;
- air flow models;
- stresses during drying;
- visco-elastic effects during drying;
- fundamentals of fibre and chip drying.
The scientific programme will be covered by the following Working Group objectives:
- to determine, update and report on the state of the art in the fundamental knowledge of wood drying (in all areas);
- to identify fundamental research goals;
- to determine a research plan to achieve these goals;
- to initiate projects (national and international) to achieve these goals.
At the common mid-term meeting of the Action, the progress of these Working Groups will be discussed. A decision will then be taken to proceed with these Working Groups or to set up new Working Group areas.
E. ECONOMIC DIMENSION
The following COST countries have actively participated in the preparation of the Action or otherwise indicated their interest:
· Austria
· Finland
· Germany
· Ireland
· Italy
· Norway
· Sweden
· The Netherlands
· United Kingdom.
On the basis of national estimates provided by the representatives of these countries and taking into account the coordination costs to be covered by the COST budget of the European Commission, the overall cost of the activities to be carried out under the Action has been estimated at 1997 prices at roughly ECU 10 million.
This estimate is valid on the assumption that all the countries mentioned above but no other countries will participate in the Action. Any departure from this will change the total cost accordingly.
Dziedzina nauki (EuroSciVoc)
Klasyfikacja projektów w serwisie CORDIS opiera się na wielojęzycznej taksonomii EuroSciVoc, obejmującej wszystkie dziedziny nauki, w oparciu o półautomatyczny proces bazujący na technikach przetwarzania języka naturalnego. Więcej informacji: Europejski Słownik Naukowy.
Klasyfikacja projektów w serwisie CORDIS opiera się na wielojęzycznej taksonomii EuroSciVoc, obejmującej wszystkie dziedziny nauki, w oparciu o półautomatyczny proces bazujący na technikach przetwarzania języka naturalnego. Więcej informacji: Europejski Słownik Naukowy.
Projekt nie został jeszcze sklasyfikowany według klasyfikacji EuroSciVoc.
Wskaż dziedziny nauki, które twoim zdaniem są najbardziej istotne z punktu widzenia tego projektu i pomóż nam usprawnić naszą usługę klasyfikacji.
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Program(-y)
Wieloletnie programy finansowania, które określają priorytety Unii Europejskiej w obszarach badań naukowych i innowacji.
Wieloletnie programy finansowania, które określają priorytety Unii Europejskiej w obszarach badań naukowych i innowacji.
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Zaproszenia do składania wniosków dzielą się na tematy. Każdy temat określa wybrany obszar lub wybrane zagadnienie, których powinny dotyczyć wnioski składane przez wnioskodawców. Opis tematu obejmuje jego szczegółowy zakres i oczekiwane oddziaływanie finansowanego projektu.
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Program finansowania (lub „rodzaj działania”) realizowany w ramach programu o wspólnych cechach. Określa zakres finansowania, stawkę zwrotu kosztów, szczegółowe kryteria oceny kwalifikowalności kosztów w celu ich finansowania oraz stosowanie uproszczonych form rozliczania kosztów, takich jak rozliczanie ryczałtowe.
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Koordynator
Finlandia
Ogół kosztów poniesionych przez organizację w związku z uczestnictwem w projekcie. Obejmuje koszty bezpośrednie i pośrednie. Kwota stanowi część całkowitego budżetu projektu.