VOC emissions from Douglas-fir: comparing a commercial and a laboratory kiln

Title V of the Clean Air Act requires major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to obtain operating permits based on the quantity of emissions produced. In this research project, the VOC emissions from a commercial lumber dry kiln are compared to those from a laboratory kiln. Method 25A was used on both kilns. When the same temperature and humidity schedule was used to dry matched charges of 40.6-mm by d 164.9-mm (nominal 2- by 6-in.) Douglas-fir, the commercial kiln emitted an average of 0.87 g of VOCs per kg of ovendry wood, while the laboratory kiln averaged 0.79 g/kgODwood (as carbon). In addition, the spectra of monoterpenes emitted from each dryer were similar. These results indicate that this laboratory kiln can be representative of a commercial lumber dry kiln. The use of a laboratory kiln is more desirable for measuring emissions because of the size of the lumber charge, close control over the process, proximity to other laboratory analysis equipment, and lower cost of testing.

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