Wood Waste Sorting | AISORT
Application Overview — Construction & Demolition
Wood Waste Sorting in Modern Recycling Facilities
Wood waste sorting recovers clean wood for panel board production, biomass energy, and animal bedding while separating treated, painted, and contaminated wood that requires different disposal or recycling pathways. Construction and demolition sites generate the largest volume of wood waste, but pallets, packaging, and furniture also contribute significant streams.
Material Characteristics and Sorting Challenges
Wood sorting challenges: distinguishing treated from untreated wood (CCA-treated, creosote, and painted wood cannot be used for panel board or animal bedding); removing metal fasteners (nails, screws, brackets) that damage chippers and grinders; sorting by wood type (hardwood vs softwood) for specific end-markets; and handling the wide size range from sawdust to whole pallets.
Recommended Sorting Technology Stack
XRT (density: treated wood has higher density due to preservative impregnation) + NIR (wood type identification: hardwood vs softwood, and detection of paints/coatings) + induction (metal fastener detection and removal) + RGB (color-based sorting: painted vs unpainted). Pre-shredding to 50-200mm for consistent presentation.
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Clean Wood Purity | >98% |
| Metal Removal | >99% |
| Throughput | 10-25 t/h |
| Particle Size | 50-200mm |
These benchmarks represent achievable performance with modern sensor-based sorting equipment, assuming properly sized, well-maintained equipment operating on representative feedstock. Actual results depend on specific material composition, throughput, and operating conditions.