Determining the quantity and quality of wood recovered from building demolitions to enable effective allocation

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine the quantity and quality of wood extracted from the structural parts of wooden buildings to facilitate the most appropriate allocation of the material. An additional aim was to provide a reliable and consistent characterisation procedure for recovered wood, according to its physical characteristics, such as dimensions, the presence of cracks etc. From a sample of recovered wood collected from the demolition of a wooden building in Espoo, Finland, it was found that around 30% of the total volume of material could be recovered for repurposing or remanufacturing into solid wood products, provided structural integrity can be ensured. The samples of recovered wood were relatively short compared to virgin timbers, averaging 88 cm. Further, it was determined that removing metal contaminants does not necessarily improve material recovery, because cracks, wane, warping, as well as machining the recovered wood to standard dimensions, impact material recovery the most.