1. The document summarizes a study on the life cycle assessment of acetylated wood (Accoya) compared to alternative materials for a bridge and window frame. 2. The study analyzed the greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts from raw material sourcing through end of life for each material. 3. For the window frame, Accoya was compared to tropical hardwood, aluminum, and PVC alternatives. For the bridge, Accoya was compared to tropical hardwood and reinforced concrete.

1. “Enhanced durability of acetylated wood and
its impact on the life cycle assessment for a
bridge and window frame”
Chris Adair, Roger Rowell
Presented
Forest Products Society 65th International Convention
20 June 2011
Portland, Oregon

2. The ”Achilles Heel” of wood
o Dimensionally unstable
o Poor microbial and insect durability
Acetylated wood offers a solution
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3. Accoya® in brief
o The “gold standard” for dimensionally stable and durable
wood
o Proprietary acetylation process
o Produced in the Netherlands
o Based on radiata pine
o Available for ~4 years
o Applications in joinery, siding, decking and others
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4. The Acetylation Process
o Acetylation transforms accessible hydroxyl groups in wood to
acetyl groups
o Reduction in “bound water” content dimensional stability
o Wood is no longer food source for microorganisms
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5. Why undertake GHG and life
cycle analyses?
o Reduce greenhouse emissions
o Cost savings opportunities
o Impact on decision making for suppliers, materials,
product design, manufacturing processes, etc.
o Environmental/corporate responsibility
o Customer demands for information on product carbon
footprints
o Ever changing construction regulations
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6. Scope of the project
o Determine the carbon foot print of Accoya® wood on a
“cradle to gate” basis
o Refine the analysis through a life cycle assessment [LCA]
on a “cradle to grave” basis for two discrete applications
o Window
o Pedestrian bridge
o Compare the Accoya® wood GHG emissions and LCA
with alternative building materials
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7. Definitions
Carbon footprint assessment1: “Cradle to Gate”
“A measure of the greenhouse gases that are produced…that involve burning
fossil fuels.”
Life cycle assessment2: “Cradle to Grave”
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an internationally standardised methodology (ISO 14040).
LCA helps to quantify the environmental pressures related to goods and services
o Life Cycle Inventory:
The collection and analysis of environmental interventions data (e.g. emissions, waste generation and resource
consumption) which are associated with a product from the extraction of raw materials through production and use to final
disposal, including recycling, reuse, and energy recovery.
o Life Cycle Impact Assessment:
The estimation of indicators of the environmental pressures in terms of i.e. global warming potential, acidification, human
toxicity, eutrophication, photochemical oxidation, freshwater & terrestrial ecotoxicity and abiotic depletion associated with
the environmental interventions attributable to the life-cycle of a product.
The data used in LCA should be consistent and quality assured and reflect actual industrial process chains.
Methodologies should reflect a best consensus based on current practice.
1. U.S. EPA
2. European Commission
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8. Accoya® GHG Assessment
o Available for review at www.accoya.com3
o Executed by Camco in December 2009
o Performed in accordance with World Business Council for
Sustainable Development and World Resources
Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocol best
practice guidelines
o Six Kyoto protocol greenhouse gases were considered
3. http://www.accoya.com/download.asp?path=Greenhouse_Gase_Emisssions_Assessment_Accoya.pdf
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9. Kyoto Global Warming Potential Gases
Kyoto gas Potential sources GWP (CO2eq)
CO2 Combustion of fuels 1
Anaerobic degradation of waste
CH4 25
Digestion of food matter
Nitrification and denitrification in soils
Fuel combustion
N2O 298
Production of adipic and nitric acid
Waste
Atmospheric release:
HFC’s • Refrigerants 22,800
• Use in foams and aerosols
Atmospheric release during manufacture of:
PFC’s • Aluminum 7,390 – 12,200
• Electronics
Atmospheric release:
• Magnesium smelting
SF6 124 – 14,800
• Electronics manufacture
• High voltage switchgear
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10. Gases considered for this study:
o CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from fuel combustion
o CH4 emissions arising from landfill waste
o CO2, CH4, and N2O released directly to the atmosphere
from processing of raw materials
o The contribution of the halogenated GHG’s was
considered to be negligible
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11. Scope of the Accoya® wood emissions
assessment
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12. Base case process flow diagram
Assessment boundary
Gas/heavy Liquid Electricity Raw water
fuel oil Nitrogen
Diesel Gas Soft water
Biomass Electricity
Truck
(200 km) Pump Electricity
Truck Accoya® production facility
Forestry (300 km)
Sawmill Drying Acetylation
operations Truck
(30 km)
Sea freight 1.0 m3
(2,500 km)
Distillation
Truck
(150 km)
Sea freight
Waste
(210 nautical miles)
Acetic
Acetic Acid
anhydride
“Cradle to Gate” Consumer
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13. Realism and conservatism
Wood
o Assume radiata pine sourced from New Zealand
o Local species sourcing could improve carbon footprint
Acetic anhydride
o Two routes for production (ketene & carbonylation)
o Embodied energy for global production mix was used
o Increased focus on use of carbonylation route could improve carbon
foot print
Acetic acid
o Assume acid enters merchant market and displaces petrochemical
produced acid, a net carbon credit
o Internal recycling back to anhydride could have similar benefit
Site location
o Base case is for Netherlands site, not co-located with timber or
anhydride production
o Co-location with either feedstock could improve carbon emissions
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14. Accoya® GHG Build-up
Ideal
(kgCO2eq)* Realistic (Base)
Forestry and sawmilling 109 109
Transport of timber 137 41
Transport of other materials 13 13
Acetylation facility: utilities and input materials 946 563
Acetylation facility: acetic acid production (432) (432)
Accoya® GHG Assessment 773 290
Realistic: RP sourced from NZ; ANH-mix
Ideal: SP sourced from Scandinavia; ANH-carbonylation
*Values may vary slightly due to rounding in this shortened form
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15. ACCOYA®, TRICOYA® and the Trimarque Device are registered trademarks owned by Titan Wood Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accsys Technologies PLC,
and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
pemission.

16. ACCOYA®, TRICOYA® and the Trimarque Device are registered trademarks owned by Titan Wood Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accsys Technologies PLC,
and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
pemission.

17. Alternative material comparison
• Radiata pine sourced from
New Zealand
• Anhydride production mix
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and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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18. Base case in Muss & Purse
• Accoya® from Scots pine
sourced from Scandinavia
• Base case: anhydride from
carbonylation route
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19. Limitations of GHG
Assessment
GHG emissions on a volumetric basis
o Provides little insight for a realistic comparison against other
materials
Other factors must come into play
o Amount of material used in an application
o Durability
o Maintenance
o Carbon sequestration
Enter the life cycle assessment…
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20. Life Cycle Assessment4
o ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006,
including critical review report
o Written by Dr. Joost Vogtlander, TU
Delft
o Peer review:
o Dr. Richard Murphy, Imperial College of
London
o Harry van Ewijk, IVAM UvA BV,
University of Amsterdam
o Erik Alsema, W/E Consultants
o Life cycle inventory (LCI) data:
o Ecoinvent v2 database, Swiss Centre for
Life Cycle Inventories
o Idemat 2008 database, Delft University
of Technology “Cradle to Grave”
4. http://accoya.com/download.asp?path=LCA%20Accoya%20Final%2020100401%20for%20external.pdf
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21. Applications chosen
Window
o Outer dimension: 1650 x 1300 mm
o Total surface area (interior/exterior): 4.38 m2
o Alternatives considered: red meranti, aluminum, & PVC
o Product lifespan: determined by TNO Bouw in the Netherlands
o Maintenance: Aluminum and PVC windows required no
coating maintenance, while the wood alternative do.
Frequency determined by Weijman Real Estate Maintenance
in the Netherlands
Pedestrian bridge
o Strictly the load bearing structure was considered
o 3 x 16 meters
o Complies with Dutch building legislation
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and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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22. Material use, lifespan and carbon sequestration assumptions
made for the carbon footprint assessment of a window frame
Carbon
Amount of
Emissions factor Lifespan sequestration
Material material per
per frame [yrs] benefit
frame
[kgCO2eq/m3]
Accoya® 0.0838 m3 773 kgCO2eq/m3 50 - 413
Tropical hardwood - red meranti
0.0838 m3 394 kgCO2eq/m3 35 - 411
(sustainably sourced)
Tropical hardwood – red meranti
0.0838 m3 494 kgCO2eq/m3 35 - 411
(unsustainably sourced)
Aluminium 39.65 kg 8.24 kgCO2eq/kg 50 N/A
PVC: 25.6 kg 2.41 kgCO2eq/kg
PVC - steel window frame 35 N/A
Steel: 16.1 kg 1.78 kgCO2eq/kg
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23. Coating assumptions for wood alternatives made for the
carbon footprint assessment of a window frame
Amount of coating in wet Emissions factor
Material
conditions per frame over lifespan [kgCO2eq/kg]
Accoya® 3.56 kg over 50 years 2.786
Tropical hardwood
5.55 kg over 35 years 2.786
(red meranti)
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24. The pedestrian bridge
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25. Assumptions made for the carbon footprint
assessment of a pedestrian bridge
Amount of material per Lifespan Carbon sequestration
Material Emissions factor
bridge [yrs] benefit [kgCO2eq / m3]
Accoya®: 6,41 m3 773 kgCO2eq/m3
Accoya® wood 80 - 660
Glue (PU): 4.694 kgCO2eq/kg
Tropical hardwood –
Azobé: 5,94 m3 304 kgCO2eq/m3
Azobé (sustainably 50 - 972
Steel: 297 kg 1.78 kgCO2eq/kg
sourced)
Tropical hardwood –
Azobé: 5,94 m3 4851 kgCO2eq/m3
Azobé (unsustainably 50 - 972
Steel: 297 kg 1.78 kgCO2eq/kg
sourced)
Concrete:11,43m3
516 kgCO2eq/m3
Reinforced concrete (density / m3) 90 N/A
1.78 kgCO2eq/kg
Steel: 803 kg
Steel (hot dip galvanized) 1.78 kgCO2eq/kg 50 N/A
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and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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26. LCA results: window frame
Annual emissions per window frame (kgCO2eq / yr)
12.00
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
Accoya Red meranti Red meranti PVC Aluminium
(sustainably (unsustainably
sourced) sourced)
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and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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27. LCA results: pedestrian bridge
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and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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28. It goes deeper…
o Global warming potential
o Acidification
o Human toxicity
o Eutrophication
o Photochemical oxidation
o Freshwater & terrestrial ecotoxicity
o Abiotic depletion
…We’ll save this for another time.
ACCOYA®, TRICOYA® and the Trimarque Device are registered trademarks owned by Titan Wood Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accsys Technologies PLC,
and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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29. Conclusion
o Accoya® wood has a much lower environmental impact compared to many common
alternatives including metals and concrete
o While Accoya® has a slightly higher environmental impact than sustainably sourced
hardwoods, it is significantly more efficient than woods produced under poor forestry
practices
o Additional benefits not accounted for:
o Certified tropical hardwoods are not widely available
o Mean annual increment (MAI) for fast growing softwoods is much higher than tropical
hardwoods
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30. Acknowledgements
o Special thanks to Pablo van der Lugt for
spearheading this project
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31. Thank you and I am happy to
answer your questions
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32. Disclaimer
The images and written contents of this presentation are the
property of Accsys Technologies, its customers, partners and
licensees and may not be copied, reproduced, extracted, used by
or shown to other parties without the prior written consent of
Accsys Technologies’ Marketing Department.
To the best of the knowledge and belief of Accsys Technologies,
the information contained in this presentation is accurate and is
provided on the basis that Accsys Technologies and/or any of its
affiliates, officers employees or advisers are not liable for any
loss or damage whatsoever in respect of the accuracy or
completeness of such information or the result of having acted
upon it.
Accsys Technologies is a trading name of Titan Wood Inc.
ACCOYA®, TRICOYA® and the Trimarque Device are registered trademarks owned by Titan Wood Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accsys Technologies PLC,
and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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