Wood Waste Management from the Furniture Industry: The Environmental Performances of Recycling, Energy Recovery, and Landfill Treatments

Abstract

Proper management of wood waste (WW) from the furniture industry has become an important issue. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that is widely used for identifying environmental gains in WW management strategies. Thus, the aim of this research was to perform a comparative LCA, analyzing the environmental aspects and impacts of different WW management scenarios generated in the furniture industry in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. To conduct the study, five scenarios were designed: medium-density fiberboard (MDF) production (Scenario 1), medium-density particleboard (MDP) production (Scenario 2), solid ceramic brick production (Scenario 3), heat production in the ceramics industry (Scenario 4), and landfill disposal (Scenario 5). The results showed that compared to Scenarios 3 and 4, Scenarios 1 and 2 are potentially more favorable for disposing of WW. Scenario 1 achieved more environmental benefits in all of the impact categories evaluated. Notably, 1 m3 of MDF stores 1080 kg CO2 eq/m3, which results in a net impact of −849 kg CO2 eq/m3 of MDF. Scenario 5 is the least favorable practice. This research designs scenarios that contribute to reductions in the demand for virgin sources and increases in environmental gains.

Multi-Factor GIS Modeling for Solid Waste Dumpsite Selection in Lilongwe, Malawi

“…With a projected growth in the global population expected to reach 9.75 billion by 2050 (a 22.5% increase from the population of 7.96 billion in 2022), it is anticipated that the Sub-Saharan Africa region will be producing around 62 million tons of waste annually [4]. In terms of environmental pollution, social inclusion, and economic sustainability, solid waste (SW) mismanagement and misgovernance in cities, mining, and the wood industry among others are global issues that call for integrated evaluations and holistic measures to address them [3,[5][6][7][8][9]. Cities [3] and many nations worldwide, including Cambodia [9], Brazil [8], India [7], and Chile [5], among others, face significant economic challenges when it comes to waste management.…”

“…In terms of environmental pollution, social inclusion, and economic sustainability, solid waste (SW) mismanagement and misgovernance in cities, mining, and the wood industry among others are global issues that call for integrated evaluations and holistic measures to address them [3,[5][6][7][8][9]. Cities [3] and many nations worldwide, including Cambodia [9], Brazil [8], India [7], and Chile [5], among others, face significant economic challenges when it comes to waste management. These challenges include a lack of coordination between various data sources and an integrated data cloud that can be shared among various stakeholders; a lack of environmental awareness on the part of citizens and the implementation of technologies in recycling, reverse logistics, and support of environmental regulations [3]; illegal dumping (open dumping) [9]; a lack of a global agreement regarding the best practices for tailings management and governance [5], limited financial resources, inadequate technologies; and a lack of a policy framework [9].…”

Quantitative Evaluation of GHG Emissions from Hardwood Furniture in Japan and the Effect of Using Domestic Hardwoods

“…An assessment of wooden furniture in Germany pointed out that the choice of wood products for raw materials and the use of metal parts have a significant impact on GHG emissions [3]. In addition, many other research papers have been reported worldwide in recent years as using the LCA and CFP of furniture products as keywords [4][5][6][7][8][9]. In Japan, the SuMPO environmental labeling program, a type III environmental labeling program conducted by the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization, Japan, evaluated stools from a wooden furniture company and found that emissions from the production stage were the largest [10].…”