The New Environment in Particleboard Plants

The public is demanding that all industrial plants avoid befouling the air, soil, and water. Particleboard plants must conform to the standards already being established or in the process of being developed. Water used for cleaning the plant and blender systems will probably have to be processed through a purifying system before being released. Boilers and incinerators will be covered under regulations governing these pieces of equipment. Problems with air pollution are the major ones for particleboard plants. Such pollution is of the nuisance variety but nevertheless ones that will have to be abated. The State of Oregon, a leader in establishing wood industry pollution regulations, is specifying that raw material dumping areas are to be covered. This prevents wind blown dust from covering the landscape. Machines operating with dust collecting systems have also been big offenders. Dryers, portable generating equipment and sanders run fine dust through cyclones which are incapable of removing the fine particles from the air stream. Thus, scrubbers and filtering systems must be installed on their pieces of equipment to control the dust. Oregon will be requiring that no more than 3 pounds of particulate matter per thousand square feet of particleboard (3/4 in. basis) can be emitted. This requires about 6 to 8 cyclones to be equipped with cleaning equipment. Careful sampling is necessary for determining emission rates from cyclones. Plants and regulatory bodies must be in agreement on the techniques employed; otherwise, improper filtering systems may be installed.

You must be logged in to download any documents. Please login (login accounts are free) or learn how to Become a Member