title: Life cycle assessment of wood wastes: A case study of ephemeral architecture.
abstract: One of the most commonly used elements in ephemeral architecture is a particleboard panel. These types of wood products are produced from wood wastes and they are used in temporary constructions such as trade fairs. Once the event is over, they are usually disposed into landfills. This paper intends to assess the environmental effects related to the use of these wood wastes in the end-of-life stage. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two scenarios was performed, considering the recycling of wood waste for particleboard manufacture and energy generation from non-renewable resources (Scenario 1) versus the production of energy from the combustion of wood waste and particleboard manufacture with conventional wooden resources (Scenario 2). A sensitive analysis was carried out taking into account the influence of the percentage of recycled material and the emissions data from wood combustion. According to Ecoindicator 99 methodology, Damage to Human Health and Ecosystem Quality are more significant in Scenario 2 whereas Scenario 1 presents the largest contribution to Damage to Resources. Between the two proposed alternatives, the recycling of wood waste for particleboard manufacture seems to be more favorable under an environmental perspective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, C/ Lope de Marzoa s/n., E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rivela
authors.forename: María Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rieradevall
authors.forename: Gumersindo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feijoo
mesh_terms: D001108:Architecture; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D014186:Transportation; D014866:Waste Products; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D014866:Waste Products