Life-cycle Inventory of Formaldehyde-based Resins Used in Wood Composites in Terms of Resources, Emissions, Energy and Carbon

Life-cycle inventory (LCI) data are needed to scientifically document the environmental performance of formaldehyde-based resins used in the manufacture of wood composite products. The resin data are needed by others to conduct LCI studies of wood composites when providing performance data for applications as governed by the many green building standards, purchasing guidelines, and energy and climate change-related polices. This study develops LCI data for urea–formaldehyde, melamine–urea–formaldehyde, phenol–formaldehyde, and phenol–resorcinol–formaldehyde resins as produced in the US for 2005. Data are given for both on-site (resin manufacture) and cradle-to-gate (from the resin upstream to in-ground resources), which include those resources to produce and deliver input chemicals, fuels, water, and electricity. The LCI data are given per 1.0 kg of neat (liquid) resin at their industry use solids content in terms of raw materials use and emissions to air, water, and land; data are also presented on embodied energy, carbon flow, store, and footprint.