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Wood Waste Recycling in Sweden—Industrial, Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges and Benefits

Author

Listed:
  • Nilay Elginoz

    (IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Valhallavägen 81, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Joran van Blokland

    (Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Division of Wood Science and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7008, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Sahar Safarian

    (IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Aschebergsgatan 44, 41133 Gothenburg, Sweden)

  • Zeinab Movahedisaveji

    (IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Valhallavägen 81, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Desalegn Yadeta Wedajo

    (Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Division of Wood Science and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7008, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Stergios Adamopoulos

    (Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Division of Wood Science and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7008, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden)

Abstract

The disposal of wood waste at facilities for incineration in Sweden is the only applied management practice today. Energy production from biomass has gained attention for its potential to recover energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, besides being a valuable source for energy generation, wood waste can be effectively recycled into new products. Specifically, recycling wood waste into particleboard is the widely practiced method in Europe, while its benefits have not been explored in the country so far. The objective of this study is to assess the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of producing particleboard and generating energy from wood waste in Sweden. This research investigates four alternative systems for wood waste disposal. The first system involves the production of heat, the second system involves heat and power by wood waste, while the third and the fourth systems, in addition to energy recovery, include partial recycling of wood waste in particleboard production. A life cycle sustainability assessment covering all three pillars (environment, social, and economic) of sustainability was conducted to compare these systems. The results show that adding recycling schemes to incineration in wood waste management practices strengthens the sustainability for all three aspects, and hence, these management methods can be considered as complementary methods rather than competing methods. When all sustainability categories are considered, alternative three (heat recovery and recycling) comes forward as the best option in 11 out of 16 impact categories.

Suggested Citation

  • Nilay Elginoz & Joran van Blokland & Sahar Safarian & Zeinab Movahedisaveji & Desalegn Yadeta Wedajo & Stergios Adamopoulos, 2024. "Wood Waste Recycling in Sweden—Industrial, Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges and Benefits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:5933-:d:1433528
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sahar Safarian & Maria Lidberg & Mirjam Särnbratt, 2025. "Sustainability Assessment of Energy System Transition Scenarios in Gotland: Integrating Techno-Economic Modeling with Environmental and Social Perspectives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Ali Arishi, 2025. "Real-Time Household Waste Detection and Classification for Sustainable Recycling: A Deep Learning Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Agnieszka Starzyk & Janusz Marchwiński & Vuk Milošević, 2025. "Circular Wood Construction in a Sustainable Built Environment: A Thematic Review of Gaps and Emerging Topics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-25, August.

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