The Engineered Wood Products Industry: Sustainable Production, Management, Simulation and Analysis

Dear Colleagues,

Engineered wood products were developed to improve the performance of wood in modern bio-based materials with standardized physical-mechanical properties for multiple uses. These products are divided into diversified solutions, which include engineered beams (glued-laminated timber, laminated veneer lumber, laminated strand lumber, parallel strand lumber, oriented strand lumber, etc.), engineered panels (cross-laminated timber, edge-glued panel, oriented strand board, plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, etc.), and, more recently, novel transparent solutions directed to provide transparency and stiffness for new solutions. Furthermore, there are hybrid products that blend different materials in the production of prefabricated composites, for example, trusses, I-joists, structural insulated panels, and wood–plastic composites. Commercially, bio-based panels have been widely used in the production of furniture and construction finishes, and structural composites have gained a growing interest in their uses, e.g., beams and panels, in modern buildings conceived from more sustainable practices and standardized processes. In contrast, transparent wooden products are still in continuous development to replace glass and plastics through more sustainable processes and more biodegradable properties. Recent research has prioritized the development of engineered wood products, which results in the creation of a broad field of study towards sustainable production processes and sustainable performances and uses of these innovative solutions.

This Special Issue of Sustainability aims to disseminate relevant and original research on the sustainable production, fabrication, management, simulation, and applications of these biomaterials. Systematic reviews, critical reviews, meta-analysis reviews, numerical simulations, methods, and original research articles are all welcome (see the Instructions for Authors). Submissions to this Special Issue on the Engineered Wood Products Industry could include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• Particle-, strand-, laminate-, and fiber-based panels and beams produced in cleaner engineered processes from any lignocellulosic-based materials based on renewable sources;
• Sustainable manufacturing, processes, assessments, solutions, and propositions directly related to engineered wood products and biodegradable engineered wood products;
• Composites based on wood, bamboo, and other easily renewable bioresources (and their residues);
• Solid wood impregnated with resins to reach better stability and performance;
• Wood resins and wood gluing processes focused on more sustainable features and performances.

When submitting your paper for evaluation, please clearly specify: (i) how the research fits this Special Issue and (ii) identify which coupled systems or quantified feedback loops your research addresses.

Prof. Dr. André Luis Christoforo
Prof. Dr. Victor Almeida De Araújo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• renewable bioresources
• sustainable manufactures
• wood resins and wood gluing processes
• impregnated solid wood