Comparison on greenhouse gas footprint of three types of oriented strand board manufacturing process in China

The greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints of oriented strand boards (OSB) have been gaining growing concern. China is one of the largest manufacturers and traders of OSB in the world. However, little data are available concerning the GHG footprint of Chinese OSB production. The purpose of this study is to quantify and compare the GHG footprints of three types of OSB produced in China. Cradle-to-gate GHG footprints assessment models were built for OSB according to PAS 2050 guidelines. The results showed that the cradle-to-gate GHG footprints of OSB/2, OSB/3, and OSB/4 were 142.7 kg CO2 e/m3, 173.2 kg CO2 e/m3, and 374.2 kg CO2 e/m3, respectively. Raw material acquisition was the largest contributor to GHG footprint for three types of OSB (52.6~57.6%), followed by the production process of OSB (25.6~27.3%) and transportation (15.3~20.1%). The consumption of wood, MDI, electricity, and the transportation of wood were main emission hotspots in Chinese OSB production. Ultimately, four feasible GHG emission reduction measures were put forward from the perspective of reducing the usage of wood and MDI adhesive, decreasing the electricity consumption, and shortening the transport distance of wood.