Russian Forest Association is testing solutions for the implementation of a circular economy

The National Association of Timber Industry «Russian Forest» participates in the work on the introduction of a circular economy, initiated by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia in conjunction with the Federal State Budgetary Institution «UralNII» Ecology». The task of the Russian Forest Association and other members of the working group is to find and introduce the best technologies for processing wood waste.

The need to reduce the volume of waste entering landfills, the introduction of separate waste collection, the transition to a circular economy and the application of the extended producer responsibility mechanism was indicated by the President of the Russian Federation in his message to the Federal Assembly in 2020-2021, as well as in a number of instructions.

According to expert data, as a result of the activities of timber industry enterprises, about 68-74 million cubic meters are generated annually. meters of wood waste, and only 48% - 58% of them are recycled. At the same time, the organization of waste processing and their involvement in economic circulation increases the economic efficiency of the enterprise by 20% - 22%.

The working group will have to determine a unified approach that ensures accounting and comparability of data on different types of logging and woodworking waste, as well as to form a balance between the volume of logging residues that it is advisable to leave on the lands of the forest fund, and the volumes that are prohibited for burial and should be involved in the economy.

Wood waste can be used as a raw material for hydrolysis production, the production of rosin, technological chips and wood pulp, the production of building and furniture boards, in the production of activated carbon and explosives, as raw materials, additives for the needs of pharmacology, the production of soap and perfumery products, in the production of tannins for the leather industry, as compressed fuel blocks, as well as in the production of various concretes based on wood aggregates.

Wood sawdust, shavings, grinding dust are already actively used in agriculture as an additive to fertilizers for heavy soils, in animal husbandry - for the underlying layer. In addition, by order of the President of the Russian Federation of November 6, 2020 No. Pr-1816, following the meeting on the development and decriminalization of the forestry complex, measures are envisaged to transfer municipal boiler houses from fuel oil and coal to biofuel, which will also have a beneficial effect on the volume of processed wood waste.

«We need to develop a single standard for the assessment, accounting and movement of wood waste. This is not only research, analytics and forecasting, it is a matter of negotiations and the formation of a solution that is effective for all participants in the process. We hope that the expertise of the Russian Forest Association will help in this task», — comments Andrey Goncharov, Vice President of the Russian Forest Association.