Gate to gate life cycle assessment of flat pressed particleboard production in Islamic Republic of Iran

The main hotspot for resin production was known as Urea-formaldehyde (UF). Electricity was the main hotspot in acidification (AC) and ozone layer depletion (OLD) impact categories, while transportation and production process were the main hotspots in marine aquatic ecotoxicity (ME) and photochemical oxidation (PO) impact categories, respectively. Moreover, rotary dryer, hot press, flaker and hammer mill, vacuum pump and diesel fuel were the most effective sectors in the emissions of the production process. Results for substitution of natural gas showed that, except some impact categories, the use of alternative source of thermal energy such as wood residues could improve emissions from the manufacturing process.