Development of an Eco-designed Process for Reuse of Construction Wood with an Automated Demonstrator.

Towards closed-loop recycling of construction wood waste through an innovative eco-designed technology

Recycled wood plays a crucial role in France and Europe, primarily being utilized for material valorization, such as the production of particle boards, as well as for energy valorization in biomass boilers.

Unfortunately, a significant amount of wood waste ends up in landfills or is incinerated, which limits its potential for further applications. This is especially true for solid wood waste, as the current recycling methods involve shredding the wood, leading to degradation of its original properties and significantly reducing its possibilities for reuse in new products

However, recognizing the environmental importance and the need for resource circularity, the reuse of solid wood waste presents an alternative approach to meet the growing demand for wood in a sustainable manner. A promising solution is closed-loop recycling, which involves reintegrating wood waste at the beginning of the production chain. This approach offers industrial viability for stakeholders involved in the secondary wood transformation sector.

In light of these challenges and opportunities, the ReCoWood project emerges as an extension of the successful European project called CareWood, led by FCBA and ESB. The main objective of ReCoWood is to demonstrate the feasibility of using and recycling minimally treated wood waste, primarily sourced from waste collection centers, in the manufacturing of laminated veneer lumber products. The project findings have shown that these minimally treated woods are indeed reusable, although their recycling using non-connected industrial tools requires significant manual intervention. To address these limitations, the ReCoWood project proposes the development of a connected technological demonstrator, which will facilitate the efficient recycling of minimally treated wood waste generated by the construction industry. This advanced demonstrator will pave the way for the establishment of a complete wood residue transformation line, enabling the industrial-scale production of high-quality laminated veneer lumber. The integration of cutting-edge machinery, automation sensors, and optimized processes will ensure a streamlined and sustainable recycling process. Throughout the project’s development, an eco-design approach will be adopted, considering a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of the project and the targeted products. Furthermore, life cycle assessments will be conducted to establish the environmental profile of the laminated veneer lumber produced by the demonstrator, which will facilitate the production of Environmental and Health Product Declarations (FDES) for recycled wood construction products. Overall, the ReCoWood project aims to drive the transition towards closed-loop recycling of construction wood waste through innovative and eco-designed technologies, contributing to the sustainable management of resources and the reduction of environmental impact

Collaboration between 5 Companies and the ESB research laboratory

The project brings together five companies and a research laboratory, all of which possess comprehensive expertise throughout the entire value chain of the future process.

The project will initiate with the qualification of the raw material, collected by CHARIER company, using and validating inline sensors to detect additives.

The LIMBHA laboratory at ESB will lead research activities and implement the hardware architecture and communication protocols in collaboration with all partners. The crucial aspect of the demonstrator lies in the connection between the sensors and machines. The goal is to automate the production of wood blanks with specific sections through self-learning (sensor/machine cutting integration), using a variable resource and tracking all relevant information (additives, section, cutting type) leading to the final wooden element. The hardware coordination is managed by WEINIG company.

Industrial and environmental validation of the demonstrator (or its constituent technological elements) will be facilitated through the production of various products utilized by MINCO and GASCOGNE BOIS companies.

Throughout the project’s development, an eco-design approach, based on a multicriteria analysis of the project’s environmental impacts and targeted products, will be implemented. The FCBA will be responsible for conducting the multicriteria analysis of environmental impacts. They will establish an eco-design methodology for the recycling process and, through a life cycle analysis, determine the environmental profile of the wood blanks produced by the demonstrator. This will enable the creation of Environmental and Health Product Declarations (FDES) for recycled wood construction products.