During the month of June, the LIFE EcoTimberCell project has reached two important milestones: the project has been distinguished in the Ecodesign Contest of the National Environmental Congress and EcoTimberCell products have been supplied for a first construction site in Galicia.
From the LIFE ETC project we wanted to highlight the indisputable role of certified wood in mitigating climate change and its importance in low-energy construction. In this sector, wood not only acts as a carbon sink, it also reduces CO2 emissions resulting from the use of other materials.
LIFE EcoTimberCell has been selected among the 8 finalist projects in the Ecodesign Awards of the National Environmental Congress, Conama 2020.
The TABLEX board manufactured by the company Betanzos HB is a hard fibre board produced from timber from sustainable and local plantations, which uses the wood's own lignin to bind the wood fibres, avoiding the use of artificial binders in its manufacture.
Last January, the LIFE EcoTimberCell team visited the company RESAI, which has offices in Lugo and Valencia, and covers from the construction of buildings and industrial warehouses, to the renovation and rehabilitation of houses, hotels or rural houses.
In reference to the LIFE EcoTimberCell project and related to the certification and validation of the EcoTimberCell structural systems that arise from this project, ITeC has recently drafted and delivered the EcoTimberCell Systems Assessment Plan.
The "Guide to the supply and characterisation of structural timber" is a publication that provides knowledge and tools to the forestry and timber construction sector to develop the characterisation of structural timber. Due to its easy reading and abundant graphic material, it can become a very useful reference document for the Galician timber industries and their specialisation.
From LIFE EcoTimberCell we want to highlight the increase in ecosystem services provided by productive forest systems when we apply Certified Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
Today we received a follow-up visit from the EASME (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) manager, Hana Mandelikova, and the LIFE EcoTimberCell project's NEEMO monitor, María José de la Torre.
In the framework of LIFE EcoTimberCell project, the characterization of the hardboard (Tablex) of Betanzos HB has been carried out, whose manufacture is characterized by not using artificial adhesives to link the wood fibers. They are high density wood fiber boards from local forests, one hundred percent ecological and sustainable. One of the objectives of the project is their incorporation into the EcoTimbercell structural systems, so their characterization seeks to adapt their performance to use with improved qualities of mechanical resistance, moisture and reaction to fire.
The visual classification helps us to analyse the singularities present in a piece of wood and, based on the criteria defined in the reference standards, to determine whether or not that element is valid for a structural purpose. To learn more about how to analyze the anatomical characteristics of wood and the regulations that govern this process, please consult the "Guide to the Supply and Grading of Structural Wood".
Next October, the LIFE EcoTimberCell project has the honor of participating as a speaker in the Webinar "Climate neutral food and wood", organized by the Directorate General for Climate Action of the European Commission (DG CLIMA) and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (EASME), which will bring together for the occasion successful LIFE and Horizon 2020 projects in the areas of agriculture, food, forestry and bioeconomy. The four sectors receive financial support for research from both European programs and contribute to the fight against climate change and ensure the proper functioning of the food and wood value chains.
Considering the high variability of the characteristics and singularities of the wood, there is the necessity to carry out a process of classification that allows its characterization like structural wood. The recently published “Guía de suministro y caracterización de madera estructural” details this process based on the application of current regulations for the calculation of characteristic values and the assignment of qualities and class resistance to wood.
Wood has variability in its properties, not only depending on the species, as well for the local environment conditions and the silviculture techniques applied. It is therefore essential to know the particular properties of local wood from sustainable forest management, which will be used in the manufacture of EcoTimberCell structural systems.
We have published our third LIFE EcoTimberCell project newsletter. You can consult it in Spanish, Galician, Catalan and English, in the Resources section of our website.
Among the actions of LIFE EcotimberCell project have recently concluded the work of study and improvement of the hardboard made of wood waste fibers (TABLEX), an integral and fundamental element in the construction systems developed in the project, which stands out as a 100% biodegradable product in which the wood lignin itself works as a natural adhesive for the wood fibers union, avoiding the artificial binders use typical in other wood boards.
The LIFE EcoTimberCell project publishes its new website to incorporate the new contents and advances in 4 languages, Spanish, Catalan, Galician and English.
During the 7th and 8th of February the I International Conference Wood 2020 will take place with the slogan Technology - Project, in La Coruña, at CESUGA's headquarters, with 3 sessions that link wood to the territory, architecture and furniture.
Among the tests required to develop the EcoTimberCell systems are the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests on the ecological lignin-based adhesive that will be used by LIFE EcoTimberCell.