(618f) Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Pyrolysis for Bio-Oil Production for Use as a Wood Preservative

Due to insects and microbial agents, wood being placed into service must be treated to inhibit deterioration. Historically, wood has been treated using chromated chopper arsenate (CCA). Because of its toxic characteristics, CCA has been banned from use in the United States. As older wood is being taken out of service, new methods of preservation are being explored for the wood being put into service. The Department of Chemical Engineering at Mississippi State University is evaluating a pyrolysis process for the conversion of wood into bio-oil, or pyrolysis oil. The resulting pyrolysis oil has shown great promise as a wood preservative.

Before full scale production can begin a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be performed on the process. LCA is a cradle-to-grave analysis involving the feedstock and materials of construction as well as storage, transportation, and disposal issues. The results of the analysis have been used to determine the economic viability of the process, the energy ?break-even point,? and the carbon footprint of the process.