Hamed Kouchaki-Penchah - M.Sc. Student, Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
Mohammad Sharifi - Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran,
Hossein Mousazadeh - Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran,
Hamid Zarea-Hosseinabadi - Ph.D., Department of Wood and Paper Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

The particleboard (PB) industry is one of the most important forest-based industries in Iran. PB is currently produced and consumed worldwide and represents about 70 % of the wood panel industry in Iran. Electricity and Natural gas are important energy sources in PB manufacture, which may result in a different environmental profile. This paper presents a research on the environmental impacts of PB Production Process in Iran. The study was developed following the methodological guidelines of ISO 14040. The functional unit chosen was 1 m3 of finished particleboard. LCA methodology was used for the quantification of the impacts of the PB manufacture. The main hotspots identified were the production of urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin used as synthetic adhesive, Electricity as an energy source and the use of natural gas as a thermal energy source in PB manufacture. The results suggest that further research should focus on UF resin production in order to reduce its environmental impacts as well as the possibility of using alternatives resins in Iran. Also the other sources thermal energy for PB production could be investigated.

Wood-based panels industries; Particleboard; Life cycle assessment; Environmental hotspots; Improvement opportunities