CORDIS provides links to public deliverables and publications of HORIZON projects.
Links to deliverables and publications from FP7 projects, as well as links to some specific result types such as dataset and software, are dynamically retrieved from OpenAIRE .
Exploitable results
In Europe, about 32 million m3 of particleboard nearly 8 million m3 of medium density fiberboard (MDF) were produced in 1998, half the worlds production. Such boards first became a popular materiel for furniture in the 1960s and have a useful life of around 30 years. Therefore, the amounts of refused board are already significant and their handling causes problems in many European countries. It should be noted that burning old furniture, apart from wasting natural resources, in not environmentally desirable mainly due to the creation of dioxins, carbon dioxide etc. Germany has already enacted legislation that forbids the dumping of materials containing more than 5% organic compounds by the year 2005. Similar legislation is currently prepared at a European Union level.
The technology developed provides an ideal solution to this problem. The waste boards are first pulped using conventional pulping techniques. The fibrous material generated is used as a starting material for the production of medium density fibreboard (MDF) and/or lower paper grades. The liquid fraction (spent liquor) containing the degradation products of the resin is used as an extender for conventional formaldehyde-based resin. The technology is unique as it involves the recycling of both the ligoncellulosic parts of particleboards and fibreboards and of the binder resin as well, using an environmentally friendly process. In contrast with other recycling technologies laminated boards can be used without any particular problem. The technology also allows further recycling of the boards made from recycled material.
The boards produced have substantially improved properties when using up to 50% recycled fibres. The process therefore not only achieves the recycling of the old panels but actually upgrades them to high added value products.
The results have been confirmed in the lab and are currently being validated in pilot-scale trials. An economic feasibility study has already been undertaken and will be completed by March 2000.
A consortium of six European partners co-ordinated developed the technology by ARI LTD, within the framework of the Agriculture and Fisheries programme, with financial support from DG XII of the European Commission.
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