United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-96/066
June 1996
EPA Project Summary
Characterization of
Manufacturing Processes and
Emissions and Pollution
Prevention Options for the
Composite Wood Panel Industry
Cybele Martin and Coleen Northeim
The report summarizes information
gathered on emissions from the com-
posite wood industry (also called the
plywood and particleboard industry)
and potential pollution prevention op-
tions. Information was gathered during
a literature search that included trade
association publications, journal ar-
ticles, symposium presentations, and
university research.
Little information exists in the litera-
ture pertaining to pollution prevention.
Most available literature focuses on
ways to reduce raw material consump-
tion and improve manufacturing pro-
cesses. However, in many instances,
these reductions and improvements
lead to pollution prevention benefits.
Some of these potential pollution pre-
vention options presented in the report
include: conveyor belt drying, low tem-
perature drying, high moisture bond-
ing adhesives, foam extrusion, and vari-
able glue application rate. Other pollu-
tion prevention options presented in
the report include alternative fiber
sources (e.g., agricultural fiber and re-
cycled wood waste) and naturally de-
rived adhesives. These options are pre-
sented as resources that are abundant
and renewable. Little emissions data
exist in the literature to include with
these options.
This Project Summary was developed
by the National Risk Management Re-
search Laboratory's Air Pollution Pre-
vention and Control Division, Research
Triangle Park, NC, to announce key
findings of the research project that is
fully documented in a separate report
of the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
Overview
The composite wood manufacturing in-
dustry (initially called the plywood and par-
ticleboard industry) was included in EPA's
initial list of air toxics source categories
under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990. The industry was
defined by the EPA as "...any facility en-
gaged in the manufacturing of plywood
and/or particleboard, including, but not lim-
ited to, manufacturing of chip waferboard,
strandboard, hardboard/cellulosic fiber-
board, oriented strandboard, hardwood ply-
wood, medium density fiberboard, soft-
wood plywood, or any other wood com-
posite product manufactured using binder".
EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards (OAQPS) will be writing maxi-
mum achievable control technology
(MACT) standards for Hazardous Air Pol-
lutants (HAPs) as they apply to the com-
posite wood panel manufacturing indus-
try; the MACT regulations for this industry
are scheduled to be proposed in 1999.
The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990
requires EPA to review regulations of the
Agency prior to their proposal to deter-
mine the effect of regulations on source
reduction. In response to this charge, EPA
has established the Source Reduction
Review Project (SRRP), the goals of which
are to ensure that source reduction mea-
sures and multimedia issues are consid-
ered during the earliest stages of devel-
opment of regulations under the Clean Air
Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Con-
-------
servation and Recovery Act. The SRRP is
focused on 17 industrial categories that
will be affected by the above regulations;
the composite wood panel manufacturing
industry was selected as one of the 17
categories.
EPA's National Risk Management Re-
search Laboratory (NRMRL)/Air Pollution
Prevention and Control Division (APPCD)
worked in conjunction with OAQPS on
implementing the SRRP for the composite
wood panel manufacturing industry. As
part of this effort, Research Triangle Insti-
tute was contracted to characterize emis-
sions from manufacturing processes and
to identify potential pollution prevention
opportunities for reducing them.
The report summarizes information gath-
ered on emissions from the composite
wood industry and potential pollution pre-
vention options. The information was gath-
ered during a literature search that in-
cluded trade association publications, jour-
nal articles, symposium presentations, and
university research.
Little information exists in the literature
pertaining to pollution prevention. Most
available literature focuses on ways to
reduce raw material consumption and im-
prove manufacturing processes. However,
in many instances, these reductions and
improvements lead to pollution prevention
benefits. Some of these potential pollution
prevention options are presented in this
report and include: conveyor belt drying,
low temperature drying, high moisture
bonding adhesives, foam extrusion, and
variable glue application rate. Other pollu-
tion prevention options presented in the
report include alternative fiber sources
(e.g., agricultural fiber and recycled wood
waste) and naturally derived adhesives.
These options are presented as resources
that are abundant and renewable. Little
emissions data exist in the literature to
include with these options.
-------
C. Martin and C. Northeim are with Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle
Park, NC 27709.
Elizabeth M. Howard is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Characterization of Manufacturing Processes and
Emissions and Pollution Prevention Options for the Composite Wood Industry,"
(Order No. PB96-183892; Cost: $25.00, subject to change) will be available only
from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
National Risk Management Research Laboratory (G-72)
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
EPA/600/SR-96/066
------- |