Recycling and reusing post-consumer MDF is more environmentally friendly than disposal through landfilling or incineration, reducing the demand for virgin wood, greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing carbon sequestration (Forster et al., 2023; Kim and Song, 2014). Hydrothermal processes have been studied to recycle MDF waste, such as steam treatment (ST), steam refining, and steam explosion, which break down resin and release fibres for reuse in MDF. However, there is no commercially viable method for post-consumer MDF recycling due to the process complexity and deteriorated fibre quality. Incorporating recycled fibres into MDF has been well studied at the laboratory scale, while industrial trials have been rarely reported due to process complexity and high costs. In this study, conducted within the framework of the EU-funded EcoReFibre project, evaluated MDF panels with 15% and 25% steam-treated recycled fibres using a modified fibre integration approach. The findings provide valuable insights for upcoming industrial trials aimed at incorporating recycled fibres into MDF production.
Keywords: Mechanical performance, Recycled fibres from MDF, Steam treatment
Authors
Changling Xu
Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Joran van Blokland
Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Inês F. Mota
Sonae Arauco Portugal, SA, Maia (Porto), Portugal
Stergios Adamopoulos
Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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