Energy audits of wood processing technologies

Abstract

Energy audit is a good tool to assess the impact of timber processing technologies on environment. The energy audit is based on LCA and LCI to identify energy requirements of the technology in question. Energy used in four principal areas, viz. (1) manufacture, assembly and haulage, (2) operations, (3) repair and maintenance, (4) disposal and/or recycling is quantified for each machine in all partial working processes on the basis of the machine’s life cycle diagram. The used energy is converted to a production unit suitable for the given system. Provided that an energy audit is made for all applicable technologies at a specific stage of manufacture, it may represent an important instrument to support the process of decision-making. The commonly used economic valuation of technologies is affected by many factors and usually ends in the cost function of the given technology, the calculation of which however includes only purchasing and operating costs. In many a case, the environmental aspect cannot be expressed in money. Energy audit provides a comprehensive information on energies invested into the given technology. In the case that more technologies are to be considered with the same load on environment such as damage to forest stands, soil etc., the expression in numbers of the energy invested into the technology should be one of basic factors for the choice.