Framing the future: breakthrough technology for wood and wood composites; exciting breakthrough technologies offer builders huge benefits, but implementation time is critical.

Industry progress for wood products has been sporadic. Research in this area has increased at a slower rate than other major industry segments. Although new products are available for wood products, processing technology in areas such as log scanning, mechanical grading, optimized cutting, vacuum autoclaves, drying cycle optimization, and curve sawing has been only incrementally innovative. This is because the innovations improved an existing process but did not replace it.

With the development of new "engineered" products, gaps in technology still prevent the industry from achieving the "next level" of product and process innovation. Processing energy requirements, biotechnology, environmental impact, and durability are several recurring themes often threaded throughout discussion of breakthrough innovation in the area of wood products. Funding for the pulp and paper side of the industry has overshadowed research on wood products.

Although "breakthrough technology" is necessary, it will probably not come from single individuals, companies, or institutions. Breakthroughs are more apt to come from consortia focused on industry needs. Agenda 2020 members used this background to conduct the Technology Summit in 2001. At the Wood Products Breakthrough Technology Session in Baltimore, Maryland, LISA, in June 2001, session participants provided a mixture of strategic thinking, technological excellence, and pragmatic reality.

The wood products technology session identified a dozen broad needs subsequently narrowed to four key areas deemed critical to industry technological health. Areas ripe for breakthrough research included wood processing energy reduction; wood adhesives, resins, and composites; wood building systems; and innovative wood resources. The leadership of the Agenda 2020 Wood and Wood Composites Task Group later added environmental performance as a fifth area.

WOOD PROCESSING ENERGY REDUCTION

Development of current wood processing and manufacturing techniques has progressed over time using specific product needs. No focused approach to total reduced energy consumption for wood processing and manufacturing occurred. This area will target the development of breakthrough approaches, process technologies, and control systems that can reduce energy required by 50%.

Processing wood products today requires inordinate amounts of energy. The energy used in production is the single highest wood processing cost. For wood composites and kiln drying of other products, the drying process accounts for approximately 50%-80% of total manufacturing energy consumption.

The goal in this area is development of processing technologies and control systems with significantly enhanced capital and operating cost performance while giving greater flexibility to customize products for individual customers and consumers. The development of breakthrough approaches, process technologies, and control systems can reduce energy required by 50%. Specific "breakthrough" goals include the following:

* Developing a system to use waste heat from available engines and motors in drying of wood products

* Increasing the use of residuals for process energy and emissions control by 50%

* Developing energy-efficient composite processing systems

* Developing breakthrough technologies to reduce energy consumption for emission control by 50% without affecting production cost or production quality.

WOOD ADHESIVES, RESINS AND COMPOSITES

Resins, adhesives, and composites used today have undergone development over time using specific product needs for existing markets. Breakthrough technologies in the production of resins, adhesives, and composites can substantially reduce costs, allow penetration into new markets, improve competitiveness, and reduce the environmental impact of wood and wood-based products.

Current resins and adhesives lack adequate strength, stiffness, durability, and reasonable life-cycle costs to revolutionize composites and construction methods, and thus capture large, new industrial markets. Current technology does not allow converting materials such as agricultural fibers and plastics or the use of advanced materials and techniques such as synthetic fibers and embedded sensors with existing resins and adhesives to yield high-strength, "smart" composites.

The goals in this area are to develop a new generation of resins, adhesives, and composites with a generational leap in strength, stiffness, durability, and reduced lifecycle cost. This will be possible with breakthrough technologies for converting raw materials into improved or new resins or adhesives at significantly reduced cost. Included will be materials such as agricultural fibers and plastics. Advanced materials and techniques such as synthetic fibers and embedded sensors will be used to produce breakthrough composites. Effective use of these materials will improve profitability and enable entry into new markets or improve competitiveness. It will also dramatically reduce the environmental impact of wood and wood-based products and expand beneficial re-use of solid waste.

The development of breakthrough approaches, process technologies, and control systems can dramatically enhance resin, adhesive, and composite technology. Specific "breakthrough" goals include:

* Developing durable composite resins that use renewable resources, cost less, and cure faster at lower temperatures and higher moisture content to help reduce costs and significantly improve environmental performance

* Enhancing product performance by modifying wood surfaces to improve adhesive systems, paint adhesion, bonding of wood and plastics, and use of wood fibers liar fillers

* Developing improved adhesive fastener systems to facilitate more uniform building practices

* Combining wood and non wood materials to meet new market needs

* Increasing use of bio-based composites such as replacing petroleum-based plastics with bio-based plastics in wood and plastic composites

* Incorporating advanced materials into wood-based composites to enhance performance

* Using advanced sensor technology to develop smart materials that adapt to their environment.

WOOD BUILDING SYSTEMS

Recent issues with durability such as moisture and mold and natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods have heightened public awareness of building system performance. Breakthrough technologies in development of revolutionary wood structural systems will substantially improve durability, performance, and disaster resistance; increase energy efficiency and occupant health; reduce construction time and labor; and reduce the environmental impact of wood and wood-based products.

Structural building systems today are resource and energy inefficient. Changes to system design contribute to reduced durability of products and reduced indoor air quality and occupant health. The durability of wood products in moist environments is currently low. Improvements in construction time and labor requirements have historically been the result of product developments rather than advances in the process of design and construction. The inability to make process improvements in construction time and labor costs has reduced the competitiveness of wood products compared with other structural materials. Additionally, current wood building design and manufacturing technology uses the "single component" approach rather than a systems approach.

The goals in this area are to develop revolutionary structural systems or approaches that provide substantial raw material savings, improve long-term performance, increase energy efficiency, and improve occupant health. Product development requires integration with new building systems. To accomplish this, wood structural systems with unlimited durability are necessary. Technologies must also significantly improve these properties through processing improvements, the addition of environmentally acceptable additives, and new product or system design alternatives. Specific "breakthrough" goals include:

* Developing designs for new, multi-material hybrid structural systems that will significantly enhance the overall system performance of wood structures

* Increasing substantially the building performance of wood structures during natural disasters through design improvements

* Improving performance of wood and wood-based products in wet environments

* Developing environmentally-benign, fire-retardant, and preservative systems.

INNOVATIVE WOOD RESOURCES

Recent environmental concerns with treating wood products with preservatives have heightened public awareness of reuse and recycling of wood products. Current wood products do not adequately incorporate reused or recycled wood. Present wood recycling and reuse methods have developed over time using specific product needs for existing markets, such as finger-jointed lumber. Manufacturing and construction processes today also do not adequately use lower-cost or lower-valued resources such as recycled and reused wood from deconstruction (some of which contains preservatives) or wood in round form for structural applications. A more focused approach on breakthrough technology for reused and recycled materials will allow development of more innovative products.

Wood is also not currently grown with controllable material properties or cross sections. This area will also target advances in biotechnology to grow wood with predetermined material properties and cross sections.

The development of breakthrough approaches can dramatically improve re-use, recycling, and biotechnology advances for wood products. Specific "breakthrough" goals include:

* Finding methods to permit recycling 80% of all construction and demolition wood-waste generated including wood treated with preservatives

* Providing for use of wood in round form for structural purposes

* Using biotechnology to grow trees with controllable properties (mechanical, geometric) that will reduce costs of processing into lumber, veneer, strands, particles, and fibers by 50%

* Incorporating manufactured goods disposal and recycling into the design stage for wood products to reduce life-cycle costs of wood products by 30%.

EVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

Current methods for controlling emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) from manufacture of wood products are generally effective, but they are expensive and resource intensive.

The Agenda 2020 program is already funding laboratory- and pilot-scale research into use of low temperature plasma technologies for treating VOCs and HAPs from facilities for wood products and pulp mills. The initial results suggest the possibility of significant cost and energy savings compared with current thermal oxidation technologies.

A need also exists for creative thinking about biotechnology and/or chemical pathways that convert VOC and HAP precursors to a form that remains with the product. Investigation of ways to produce purer, more concentrated forms of specific VOCs suitable for sale as by-product chemicals are also possible.

The necessary work is equally varied. In some cases, such as biotechnology, the process would need to begin with basic and applied research, in other cases, the scientific understanding already exists but is lacking cost-effective technologies. Cases may even exist-such as the current studies of low-temperature plasma technologies where technology transfer demonstration projects at laboratory- and pilot-scales will till time gaps. Several aspects of this challenge are breakthrough technology goals under the Agenda 2020 program. Specific "breakthrough" goals include:

* trees with reduced amounts of VOC and HAP precursors the t might eliminate the need for costly emission control devices

* production technologies that minimize conversion of VOC and HAP precursors or that use less VOC and HAP generating materials

* methods to capture VOCs and HAPs to yield competitively priced by-products or fuels

* high-efficiency VOC and HAP destruction technologies that are less costly and more resource efficient than thermal oxidation technologies.

For wide acceptance, the technologies must be cost effective and offer highly efficient control of methanol, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and methyl ethyl ketone. They must also use less energy for implementation.

In solid wood operations, wood drying releases VOCs including methanol and formaldehyde that are also HAPs. Thermal degradation of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose will generally increase as drying temperatures increase. Release of extractives will also increase with temperature and drying time. For an equivalent amount of wood volume, releases will increase with exposed surface area at a given temperature. The resins used in reconstituted wood products and the processes used in pressing have an impact on VOC and HAP emissions.

FIVE KEY AREAS

There are five wood products areas critical to industry technological health: wood processing energy reduction; wood adhesives, resins and composites; wood building systems; innovative wood resources; and environmental performance.

The goals presented in this paper are consistent with those established for the Technology Summit--transcend incremental improvements and achieve "breakthrough" changes that will significantly affect the industry. Each research area identified and project descriptions provided represent what are truly breakthrough opportunities for the wood products sector. Reducing energy required in wood drying by 50%, developing breakthrough technologies in production of adhesives, resins, and composites, substantial reductions in costs, penetration into new markets, improved competitiveness, and further reductions in the already low environmental impact of wood and products based on wood are all achievable. Similarly, revolutionary wood structural systems can substantially improve durability, performance, and disaster resistance. They can also increase energy efficiency and occupant health, reduce construction time and labor needs, and reduce the environmental impact of wood and products based on wood.

Breakthroughs in the use of recycled or reclaimed wood products and advances in biotechnology to grow wood with predetermined material properties and cross-sections can satisfy the long-term strategic needs of the industry. S!

IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU WILL LEARN:

* Current limitations that hinder progress of tire wood products industry.

* Incremental and breakthrough projects offering the mast promise.

* Gaps to bridge before manufacturers can implement new technologies,

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

* For Technology Summit information: www.tappi.org/ctosummit asp

* The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technology's home page: http://www.oit.doe.gov/forest/for est.shtml

* AF&PA's American Wood Council website: www.awc.org

Editor's note: This article is part of a continuing series of reports from the Forest, Wood, and Paper Industry Technology Summit held in May 2001 in Peachtree City, Georgia, and June 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. TAPPI, AF&PA, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technology sponsored the Technology Summit.

Session participants:

Jim Bowyer--University or Minnesota

Alicia Compere--Oak Ridge National Energy Laboratory

Habib Dagher--University of Maine

Eric Fletty--TAPPI

Robert Glowinski--AF&PA

Tom Hamilton--USDA Forest Products Laboratory

Mike Kocurek--North Carolina State University

Buddy Showalter--AF&PA

Jim Wilson--Oregon State University

George Woodson--Willamette Industries (now Weyerhaeuser Co)

John Youngquist- USDA Forest Products Laboratory

About the authors: John "Buddy" Showalter is director, technical media, AF&PA/American Wood Council; Robert Glowinski is executive director, AF&PA/American Wood Council; George Woodson is technical manager-composites, Weyerhaeuser Co.; and Eddie W. Price is director, technical services, Georgia-Pacific Building Products. Contact Showalter by email at [e-mail] or by phone at+ 1 202 463-2769.