Timber and Steel: Production Processes and Sustainability Roles

This report provides a detailed overview of the processes involved in converting softwood to timber and iron to steel. The softwood-to-timber process includes felling, transportation/storage, on-site processing (debarking, sawing, grading, and chemical treatment), and seasoning. The iron-to-steel conversion involves the use of a blast furnace with raw materials like iron, limestone, and coking coal, followed by the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) process. The report also discusses the roles of timber and steel in a sustainable world, highlighting timber's aesthetic appeal, renewability, and green architecture applications, while also emphasizing steel's recyclability, cost-effectiveness, and strength-to-weight ratio in construction. The report references several studies that support the information presented.

Q1) Describe and explain the processes that turn soft wood and iron into timber and steel
Conversion of softwood to timber
Over several years timber has served a significant role in the building industry. Its availability
and low cost would allow it to be used in many sectors and every stage of construction. The
description and guideline on how timber would be processed from softwood would involve the
following stage;
Stage 1: Felling soft wood tree
The initial stage that would be involved in preparing timber from softwood for use would be
felling or downing process of individual tree using feller buncher machines. A worker working
in forest would point or mark the trees that need to be cut down based on their maturity. The
matured trees may take a period of about forty to fifty years old for them to stop vigorous growth
and be ready to be cut down. Different species of trees would have varied ages of cutting them
down, there would be other trees that would grow at a quick rate like conifers leaves tree as
compared to broad leaves trees which would take longer time. The rate of growth would be
determined by environmental factors which may include nutrients.
Felling of large number of softwood tree would mainly be carried during winter, the period when
tree would have less content of moisture in them as compared to summer period when the trees
would have an approximately fifty percent of the content of water (Reinhard, Weidema and
Schmidt, 2010).
In order to provide sustainability of future generations, felled trees would have to be replaced
with seedling to ensure the forest would have a chance of growing again (Moser et al., 2010).
Stage 2: Transportation/storage
The logs would then be stored in the forest before sawmill would be needed, the storage would
also allow evaporation of free content of water, reduction of the log/tree weight and
transportation cost. The tree would be cut at considerable length and loaded on trucks or Lorries
that would transport them to the processing site (Korpunen, Mochan and Uusitalo, 2010).
Stage 3: On site
The logs would now be debarked and cut to specific length required. The softwood logs would
then be cut into boards; the process of conversion would involve using equipment like bandsaws
and circular saw.
The initial stage of the process of conversion would be known as breaking down that involves
rough sawing this would involve cutting the logs into long permissible length using cut-off saw,
after which it would be loaded on head-saw carriage to position it in a manner that would allow

the achievement of saw pattern to ensure there would be maximum saw timber production at
minimum wastage. The pattern which would be cut would depend on the log condition,
dimensions and market requirement based on the lumber thickness and width. Sawing would be
achieved using circular saw and bandsaw. The lumber would be cut into standardized edges
square, length and defect removed using trimming saw after the timber leaves headrig.
The second stage would be known as re-sawing that involve cutting and finishing work on the
site. Larger circular saws would then be used to remove curved edges and processing the board
further.
Thirdly, the trimmed and sawn timber would then be sorted based on the width, thickness and
length, quality, species and grade depending on what the market would be requiring. Grading
would involve segregating the lumber based on direction of grains, defects, quality and knots.
The sawn timber would be then be dipped manually in special chemical solution it from insect
and fungi attack.
Stage 4: Seasoning
Seasoning of softwood would involve the removal of excess content of moisture. Felled tree
would contain large amount of moisture of about fifty percent. The two ways in which water
would be held in the trees would include;
1. Free water that would be held in cell to distribute nutrients
2. Cell Water that is a vital part of cell wall of the tree
Conversion of Iron to steel
The main raw material used in blast furnace is iron, the other raw materials would include
limestone and coking coal. The three raw materials would be added in the blast furnace at the top
while at the bottom heated air would be blown into the furnace to help in combustion process.
The combustion of all this materials inside the furnace would result to production of molten pig
iron than would thereafter be converted to steel. Addition of limestone into the furnace would
help in capturing impurities and creation of slag (Chen, Yin and Ma, 2014).
The charged molten iron would be poured to BOF and a lance cooled with water would then be
inserted into the vessel. Oxygen at high pressure would be passed through the lance to
chemically react with carbon in order to burn and remove impurities. The reaction of oxygen and
carbon found in scrap and pig Iron to form carbon (iv) oxide and carbon (ii) oxide. Limestone
would act as a cleaning agent that would absorb impurities from the Iron and this would leave
behind molten steel.

Q2) Discuss the role of timber and steel materials in sustainable world
Role of timber
Timber would provide both a friendly atmosphere and warmth, while providing an authentic
beauty that other materials would not have. Wood would also be categorized as a natural
product that would degrades with less environmental impact on its life cycle. The durability and
strength of wood product could be evident in several worldwide heritage buildings. An example
of evident building is Norway’s beautiful Stave Churches that until now they are structurally
sound and are still being used, though they were built some centuries ago. The construction that
involves the use of timber can be classified as a method that involves green architecture. Green
design would decreases resource consumption by ensuring that system of structure would last
and would easily adapt to the surrounding environmental conditions. An example for timber
structures that could last and adapt to environment include Pennsylvania, where the use was
changed but the structure effectively adapted to the new use (Felton et al., 2010).
The use of wood in structures would require minimal and less energy to be build and operated,
reducing the dependency on fossil fuels. Wood can be renewed and recycled and only few
materials could match the rare benefit combinations, wood strength, durability and
environmental sustainability.
Role of steel
The steel frames on-site can be handled easily. They have light weight since the ratio of steel
strength-to-weight of the construction material resulting in less framing material being required
for an equal size structure compared with wood. Although several construction sites can dispose
of large quantities of construction and demolition waste, the use of steel can mitigate the issue
because it can recycled easily. Furthermore, the construction builders would also reduce the cost
of disposal, and remove waste from landfills (Provis, Duxson and van Deventer, 2010).
The cost of using steel in construction is effective. Steel elements can be bought at different
rates, thereby reducing the scrap of jobsite. Steel does not curl, bend or break; therefore there
would be no need of sorting out items of low quality that save money and time. The quality
consistency and dimensional stability of Steel improves work performance. Panelizing allows the
constructor to speed up the process of framing.
Steel material is non-combustible, works well in windy and earthquake environments and is
resistant to corrosion. In presence of humidity changes it does not shrink or swell, therefore steel
framing would contribute to improved exterior appearance and drywall, as well as door and
window fitting.

References
Chen, W., Yin, X. and Ma, D., 2014. A bottom-up analysis of China’s iron and steel industrial
energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Applied Energy, 136, pp.1174-1183.
Felton, A.M., Felton, A., Foley, W.J. and Lindenmayer, D.B., 2010. The role of timber tree
species in the nutritional ecology of spider monkeys in a certified logging concession,
Bolivia. Forest Ecology and Management, 259(8), pp.1642-1649.
Korpunen, H., Mochan, S. and Uusitalo, J., 2010. An activity-based costing method for
sawmilling. Forest Products Journal, 60(5), pp.420-431.
Moser, B., Temperli, C., Schneiter, G. and Wohlgemuth, T., 2010. Potential shift in tree species
composition after interaction of fire and drought in the Central Alps. European Journal of Forest
Research, 129(4), pp.625-633.
Provis, J.L., Duxson, P. and van Deventer, J.S., 2010. The role of particle technology in
developing sustainable construction materials. Advanced Powder Technology, 21(1), pp.2-7.
Reinhard, J., Weidema, B. and Schmidt, J., 2010. Identifying the marginal supply of wood
pulp. Dübendorf, Switzerland. Aalborg, Denmark, 2(0).