QUARTERLY NEWS EDITED BY CATAS YEAR 16 / N. 04 DECEMBER 2011

04

Management, Editing and AdministrationCATAS spaVia Antica, 24/333048 San Giovanni al NatisoneUdine / ItalyTel. 0432 747211Fax 0432 747250www.catas.com

PresidentMichele Bressan

Managing DirectorAndrea Giavon

Coordination CATAS NewsFranco BulianFranco PreteLuca Bertossi

Design Deeper ComunicationUdine / Italy

Layout and graphics Maurizio MarussiAnnamaria Franz

Reproduction or duplication of the contents of this quarterly on any support is authorized under condition that the source - © CATAS - San Giovanni al Natisone - Udine - Italy is being cited All rights reserved

04in this issue

04 Opening of the new building of CATAS06 CATAS pricelist for 2012 has been

published07 Thelistoffirepreventionactivitieshas

been updated10 The European Directive (IED) 2010/75/EU

on industrial emissions13 Continues the successful activity of the

Federlegno Wood Expert Registry14 A proposal for a new class for

formaldehyde emission from wood based panels. The E1-plus

15 Obligations for timber trade operators16 A new working group “Finishes for Wood“

has been published by UNI17 Assigned to CATAS the secretariat of the

working group WG 22 of CEN TC 3819 Published the book “Materiali e tecnologie

dell’industria del mobile” (“Materials and technologies of the furniture industry”)

20 CATAS team to the Udine 2011 Telethon relay race

21 Publications

1 0

0 7

0 4

16

Andrea Giavon

Opening of the new building of CATAS

On 3rd December 2011, the new premises of the che-micaldepartmentofCATASwereofficiallyopened.Thishappened in the presence of municipal, provincial and

regional authorities and the presence of the past presi-dent and current CATAS president.

What has been written so far is by no means the press release, other more experienced than me are called to do so, but this is the frame of historical events on which I would like to engage some thoughts.

The chemical department long had the need for more space, occurred for both the increasing analytical work of formaldehyde emissions (CARB certification) andfor the growing market demand for the control of VOC emissions. Also the key section for the surfaces test was showing the need for more space to work better.Moreover, in the mid of 2009 the chemical laboratory of the Chamber of Commerce of Udine, located about

fifteen kilometres from the San Giovanni al Natisonemother house, merged in our society. After that a deep reflectionontheneedtomergeunderoneroofallthesevarious activities started. The principle shared with then-president and the Board has made an assessment of the economic resources for such an investment. The moment for interest rates and the possibility of ac-cess to loans has initiated this project now completed. I want to focus on one aspect which is one of the va-lues of CATAS, supported by our history, that the sha-ring of daily experiences of the technicians who perform their work in physical proximity is essential for the de-velopment and advancement of knowledge. When this is possible then all the other positive consequences are possible, be they of a economics, logistics, etc.

4

Andrea Giavon

The possibility to have people who work in proximity al-lows also another effect that is what I call the “multiplier” that is, the possible things to develop and/or design are more than the algebric sum of the separate realities. This needledusthentodefinethefunctionalrequirementstogether the designers of the various laboratories that are part of new construction.

The result of this process and work has now materiali-zedintotwofloorsofapproximately1400m2 each. The groundfloorhousestheformaldehydesection,thebigroom where the chambers are arranged for emissions, the surface section and the one of wood related micro-biology.Thefirstfloorisreservedfortheanaliticalsec-

tion for the furniture industry, the food sector, microbio-logy included, with the area dedicated the environment as a superposition of two distinct realities so far and now in the merging process.

This is what a willingness to share, business risk, and trust was inaugurated with an event managed in a very accurate way and prepared by those who work at CA-TAS.

It is understandable in this framework the CATAS story told by “young engineer”, who alone started the activity of the Institute more than 40 years ago, is interrupted by a moment of great emotion that has the depth of a life past here, made up above all of past and present faces.

Touching also the presence of many people coming from far away, who wanted to share such an important moment for us. The writer, who has now passed the ca-nonical age, has experienced this with great emotion and without hiding it.

This new physical building is the indispensable tool for the extensive planning that we have ant it is the rigth location for the new possibilities that will come knocking and/or we will look for.

5

Franco Bulian

Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione,innovazione e realtà quotidianaStaff CATAS

CATAS price list for 2012 has been published

Like every year, CATAS has prepared and published the price list for the following year.This document can be considered a real working tool as it contains various information regarding even the names and contacts of the CATAS technicians for the various activities and needs.Alsothe2012price list issent indigital format likethefirstexperience of 2011.

We can remind that this change, which also covers the new-sletterofourInstitute,reflectstheobjectiveofCATAStomini-mizetheuseofpaperinvolvingsomepracticalbenefitsalrea-dy successfully experimented by many of our customers.Thefirstadvantageisthefactthatthepricelistisgoingtobesent to all the mail addresses of the CATAS database.

Thus, both the price list and the newsletter can be simulta-neously received by more people of the same organization. In this regard, we invite all companies to report back any ad-ditional e-mail addresses for inclusion in our database. The secondbenefitcomesfromtheeaseprocedurewithwhichyoucanfindatestwithinthedigitalfile.Usingthe“Search”command of the Adobe Reader program, you can type the item of interest or even the reference standard, thus obtaining

the desired response in few seconds.Theuseofadigitalformateasilyovercomesthedifficultyoftracing a test within the printed version due to the large num-ber of methods.

As already mentioned, in addition to the test section, the CA-TAS price list contains also information on other services of our Institute.We would like to highlight in particular the section dedicated to training courses. These courses are devoted to basic topics that may be requested at any time to CATAS. They can also be provided outside the institute, in companies or associations premises.

In addition to courses, the price list includes also detailed in-formationaboutourproductcertificationprocedure,theCA-TASQuality Award. CATAS began the product certificationactivity in 1992 and up to now we have exceeded the 100 certifiedproductsbeingcontinuouslygrowing.ThepricelistwilldisplaythevariouscertificationsCATASonwhichisactivewith the indication of costs and activities.

TariffarioPrice List

2012

CATAS Brochure S.G. bianca.indd 1-4 18-06-2008 16:21:52

Tecnologia e ricerca. CATAS, improve living quality.

CATAS SPA Sede Legale e Laboratorio

www.catas.com

CATAS Filiale Brianza

LEGNO - ARREDO

6

Sara ZanchielloGli appartamenti - palestra

Franco Prete

The list of fire prevention activities has been updated

According to the slogan “Less paper, more safety,” the Pre-sidential Decree of 1st August 2011, No 151, amending the procedures for fire prevention in severalways such as, forexample, project evaluation, control commands by the Pro-vincial Fire Brigades and the periodic renewal of conformity, waspublishedintheOfficialGazetteNo.221of21-09-2011.The provisions of the decree within the scope of measures to simplify procedures and therefore the relationship between business operators/citizens and government institutions.Forthefirsttimethesettingofthedecreeisfoundedontheprinciple of proportionality according to which administrati-ve formalities are varied depending on the size and sector in which the company and the actual need to protect the public interestsrelatingtofiresafety.Tothisaim,therefore,theoldlistsofactivitiessubjectedtofireprevention controls, contained in the D.P.R. No 689 of 1959 and Ministerial Decree 16-02-1982 have been withdrawn and now replaced by a new, updated version, which divides acti-vities into three categories: A (low risk), B (medium risk) and C (highrisk).Theseareidentifiedbysize,activitysectorandbytheexistenceofspecifictechnicalregulations.Foreachcate-gorydifferentproceduresaredefinedandinparticularforca-tegories A and B are much simpler than the previous ones. For those resulting in A category, for example, the activity can be-gin after presenting the SUAP (Sportello Unico per le Attività Produttive)theSCIA(SegnalazioneCertificatadiInizioAttività)which is attached to the technical documentation (sworn, cer-tifications/declarationsevidenceforfireprotection,technicalreport, drawings). In this case the compliance opinion of the

FireBrigadesisnolongerrequiredandthereforethecertificateoffirepreventionisnolongerissued.A major role is assigned to the experts on the lists of the Home Office,calledupontoassertcompliancewiththesafetystan-dards of installed products and systems, so relieving the Pro-vincial Fire Brigades Commands by an excess workload due to less dangerous activities.

Thisarticledoesnotenterintothespecificityofnewbureau-cratic procedures, but they highlight some important issues thataffectCATASclientsassuppliersof“fire”productsortho-se intended to be installed and used in activities under the control of the Fire Brigades.It is important that the supplier fully understands what are the procedures to be observed to meet the requirements that the “law”requiresinsuchcases.Thefirstanalysis,therefore,shalltake into account the type of product and the type of activity to which it is intended. For example, if an upholstered chair has to be used in a hotel, be aware that:- if the chair is used in the dining room/breakfast room, it shall

notbecertifiedor approved (seeMinisterialCircularNo.P8964122/1 of 6th June 2004);- if the chair is used in other areas of the hotel (for example bedrooms and conference rooms), may be sold only if it is approved1.IMclassorcertified(inthesameclass) forthatparticular supply, but this limitation is applied only if they can sleep more than 25 people in that hotel.The company, therefore, with this type of client should ask the following questions:

1)isthefinaldestinationofsupplyanactivitysubjectedtofire

prevention controls?2)ifso,isthisactivityregulatedbyaspecificdecree?3)ifso,istheproducttobesuppliedsubjectedtofirereac-tion?4) if it is, do I need to provide homologation or would certify the supply only?

Toanswerthefirstquestionyoushouldconsultthelistofac-tivitiessubjectedtofirepreventioninAnnexIoftheD.M.No151, in particular the activities 65 - 66 - 67 - 68 - 69 - 71 - 72 and78thatarerecalledinthebox.Notethatforthefirsttimearecitedorotherwiseidentifiedmoreclearlythegyms(activity

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Franco Bulian

Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione,innovazione e realtà quotidianaFranco Prete

ANNEX 1

N. ACTIVITYCATEGORY CATEGORY CATEGORY

A B C

65Entertainment premises, sports centers, public and private gyms with a capacity greater than 100 peo-

ple or a surface area exceeding 200 m2.Up to 200 people.

More than 200 people.

66

Hotels, motels, hotel resorts, tourist-hotel residen-ces, student residences, tourist villages, agrotou-ristic accommodation, youth hostels, mountain refuges, bed and breakfasts, dormitories, guest

houses with more than 25 beds.

Up to 50 beds.More than 50 beds

and up to 100 beds.

More than 100 beds.

67Schools of any level, grade and type, colleges,

academies with more than 100 attending people. Nurseries with over 30 people attended.

Up to 150 people.

More than 150 people and up to

300 people.

More than 300 people.

68Health facilities, old people homes with more than

25 beds.Up to 50 beds. Up to 100 beds.

More than 100 beds.

69Commercial premises, trade fairs and exhibition centers with a surface area exceeding 400 m2.

Up to 600 m2.More than 600 m2 and up to 1.500

m2.

More than 1.500 m2.

71 Officebuildingswithmorethan300people.Up to 500 people.

More than 500 people and up to

800 people.

More than 800 people.

72Buildings open to the public, designed to contain

libraries and archives, museums, galleries and exhi-bitions (Decree January 22, 2004, No 42).

All.

73Buildings and/or complex buildings for commercial

use and/or industrial buildings characterized by promiscuity.

Up to 500 units or up to 6.000 m2.

More than 500 units or up to

6.000 m2.

77 Domestic buildings with a height greater than 24 m. Up to 32 m.More than 32 m and up to 54 m.

More than 54 m.

78

Terminals, train stations, maritime stations with a surface area accessible to the public greater than 5.000 m2. Subways with whole or partial under-

ground route.

All.

The list of fire prevention activities has been updated

8

ITALIAN LEGISLATION ON FIRE REACTION.LIST OF THE MAIN ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH THE USE OF APPROVED MATERIALS IS MANDATORY.

• Buildings of historic and artistic interest used as museums, galleries and exhibitions (Decree 20-05-1992, n. 569)

• Schools (Decree 26-08-1992)• Hotels,motels,hotelresortsetc.(Decree09-04-1994modifiedbyD.M.06-10-2003)• Buildings of historic and artistic interest used as libraries and archives (D.M. 30-06-1995, n. 418)• Sport facilities (D.M. 18-03-1996)• Entertainment premises (D.M. 19-08-1996)• Health facilities (D.M. 18-09-2002)• Officebuildings(D.M.22-02-2006)• Commercial premises (D.M. 27-07-2010)

65), bed & breakfast (66), day nurseries (67), old people homes (68), fair buildings (69), air terminals and railway stations (78).For the second question it is useful to check what are the specificdecreesinforce(seebox);ifthereisaministerialde-cree, is indispensable to read the technical annex, in particular theoneconcerningthefirereactionofmaterialsinwhichtheproducts and their requirements (minimum class required) are listed.Finally, the fourth question must be considered. We must im-mediately clarify that the two options are not at the discretion of the manufacturer/supplier, but they respond to the legisla-tion scheme that distinguishes serial products, which must always be approved, those made only on request (una tan-tum)forwhichthetestcertificateissuedaccordingtoart.10of Ministerial Decree of 26-06-1984 (procedure not for homo-logation)issufficient.All these aspects can not ignore, however, the joint asses-sment with the customer who remains the responsible subject for the proper implementation of all safety measures in its ac-tivities. So these will have to consider their own activity and willapplytheadequatemeasuresthroughitsconsultant,afire

prevention expert. But often it does not happen and the cor-rect request is received when it is too late, after that the supply occurred.The advice may be given in these cases is to always ask the customer,fromthefirstcontact,ifheneedsafirereactioncer-tificateand,ifitprovesunwilling,itisrecommendedtoprotectthe supplier in writing that the product being delivered shall notbetargetedtothoseareasinwhichfirereactionrequire-ments are mandatory. In fact, in the opinion of a lawyer, the fact that the law requires the homologation for certain pro-ducts in certain activities or, where applicable, the so-called adhoccertification,beforetheirplacingonthemarket,doesnot relieve the producer/provider to ignore these laws.

The Decree No 151 came into force on 7th October 2011. The text of all decrees cited and attachments can be viewed and freely downloaded from our site www.catas.com, menu Acti-vities - Fire reaction - Fire Prevention - Fire Prevention Docu-ments.

Franco Prete

9

The European Directive (IED) 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions

Margherita Tiberio - Province of UdineBianca Maria Scalet - European Commission, European EIPPC Bureau, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - Seville

The IPPC (AIA), which is the current implementation of Directi-ve 2008/1/EC concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC), represents the single administrative act autho-rizing the operation of industrial plants, high pollution potential in size and/or characteristics, atmospheric emissions, water discharges, management, disposal and recycling of waste generated by the plants, in order to achieve a high level of en-vironmental protection in accordance with the requirements of Title III Part Two bis of Legislative Decree 3 April 2006, No 152

and its amendments.The new EU directive on industrial emissions (IED) 2010/75/EU, entered into force on the 6th of January 2011, will repla-ce within the 7th January 2013 (date set for its implementa-tion in the member countries), the IPPC Directive 2008/1/EC recast into a single legal text, seven sectoral directives and engaging in “IPPC system”, new types of industrial plants, including those burning thermal power between 20 and 50 MW, the preservation of wood and of wood products with chemicals with a production capacity exceeding 75 m3 per day, wood-based panels production (OSB, particle board or MDF), excluding plywood, with a production capacity excee-ding 600 m3 per day and other activities using volatile organic compounds covered by the the VOC Solvents Emissions Di-rective 1999/13/EC.The Directive aims to ensure common IED implementing in-

side European Union by introducing common laws and ad-ministrativesimplifications,reducingthebureaucraticburdenon operators and standardizing the requirements for envi-ronmental performance for industrial installations in order to prevent, reduce and as far as possible eliminate, pollution in compliance with the “polluter pays” principle and the principle of pollution prevention.

The ultimate goal is to ensure, under economic conditions, cleaner production through careful management of natural re-sources and the implementation of preventive strategies for the optimization of integrated products and processes, in or-der to minimize emissions into the environment and to avoid

the transfer of pollutants from a matrix to another. The Directi-ve provides for a close review of the IED permits issued, an in-tensificationofself-controlandsupervisionovertheplanningof inspections with a frequency proportional to the risk of the sitesandtheinclusionofspecificrequirementsregardingtheclosure and remediation upon of their closing.

The application of the Directive IED, similar to IPPC, focuses on the identificationof technological standards andmana-gement criteria represented by the best available techniques (BAT), which is of proven technologies, not only process, but also design, management and disposal, which are the most effective in achieving a high level of environmental protection as a whole and can be applied in the industrial sector concer-ned, so it is feasible from both technical and economic point of view.

Margherita Tiberio and Bianca Maria Scalet

10

The European Commission, in order to identify the BAT on the basis of an exchange of information among representatives of the Member States, European industry associations and NGOs,establishedsince1996aspecialofficeattheCom-munity Centre for Research in Seville, the EIPPCB (European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau), which coordinates the activities of the technical working groups (Technical Working Group - TWGs), one for each industrial sector involved in the application of the Directive, responsible for the preparation of reference documents called BREF (BAT Reference documents) that describe the state of the art in the various industrial sectors and their environmental standards (emission levels achievable) linked to the application of best available techniques.The results of the activities and technical documents prepa-red at various stages of their development, are published and made available on the website http://eippcb.jrc.es.The documents formally adopted until the entry into force of the new directive 2010/75/EU (Formally Adopted BREF) are a tool for dissemination of knowledge on the use and compari-son of industrial processes and provide a support to the com-petent authorities in the assessment of best available available for the implementation of IPPC legislation in Europe.The reference documents (B) REF are divided into two main categories, one related to topics that are common to most in-dustrial sectors such as those relating to economic and envi-ronmental assessments (Economics and Cross-Media Effects) andenvironmentalmonitoring,and‘otherrelatedspecificallyto each industry or, in some cases, to an industrial process applied by several sectors (e.g. waste water and common wa-ste gas, industrial cooling systems, surface treatment using organic solvents), with description of various processes, the best techniques available applicable, emerging technologies, the ranges of emission-EFTA BAT (BAT Associated Emission Levels), achievable by the application of BAT and representa-tive of the performance that a technology can provide.Within the IPCC, the European Commission found, however, thatoftenthepermitsissueddonotfullyreflect,withoutju-stification, the implementationofBAT referencedocumentsdescribedintheBREFspecific.At the end of a more rigorous implementation of BAT in the DirectiveIEDtheinnovativeconceptof“findingsofBAT(BATConclusions)” is introduced which are papers, containing the conclusionsoftheBREFspecificallyontheidentificationofBAT and levels emission and performance (Associated perfor-mance levels) associated with them (BAT and BAT-AEL-APL), both in terms of emissions and consumption of resources.ThelevelsreportedinBATConclusionsareintendedtodefinethe minimum requirements at EU level. These papers assume a key role in the process of issuing permits becoming man-datory because the emission limit values, prescribed by the competent authority, shall not exceed the BAT-AEL referred to therein.The competent authoritymay fix emission limit values thatdeviate from BAT-AEL explaining, in an annex to the authori-zation, the reasons for the application of any exemptions, to ensure that there is no major pollution events, a high level of environmental protection is obtained and that it has to be demonstrated through the monitoring results, that under nor-

mal operating conditions the same emissions do not exceed the emission levels associated with best available techniques adopted in the “BAT Conclusions”.The ability to waive the application of emission limit values equal to or less than the BAT-AEL is related to the determina-tion of whether costs are disproportionate to the environmen-talbenefits,particularlydue to thegeographical locationofthe plant or local environmental conditions, or to technical characteristics of the installation.Since the beginning of the preparation of reference docu-ments(1996)todate,followingthefirstpublicationoftheIPPCDirective (1996/61/EU), the Commission adopted a total of 33 BREFs that need to be periodically reviewed and updated in relation the development of BAT. The Commission intends to establish a review period of approximately eight years.So far, it has completed the review of three documents: Ce-ment, lime and magnesium oxide (CLM BREF), Glass (GLS BREF), Iron and steel (IS BREF), the adoption of CLM BREF took place under the IPPC 2008 / 1/CE, while GLS BREF and ISBREFwerethefirstdocumentstobeadoptedunderthenew directive 2010/75/EC; its BAT Conclusions have received a favorable vote by the State Committee Members November 21, 2011.As regards the activity of production of wood-based panels (orientedfiber,particleboardorfiber)includedintheDirecti-ve IED, has been recently established the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the preparation of the BREF WBP (Wood-Based panels). The kick-off meeting was held in Seville on days 8 to 10 November 2011.The working group is currently composed of 70 members re-presenting 22 European Union Countries, 1 candidate count-ry member (Turkey), the European associations (European Panel Federation, the European Federation of wet process fibreboardmanufacturers,theEuropeanConfederationofwo-odworking industries, etc..), environmental NGOs (European Environmental Bureau) and the European Commission.At any time new members of the working group in addition to or replacing existing ones may be appointed either by repre-sentatives of member countries (Ministry of Environment) and through industry associations in the sector (Business Europe andthenationalassociationsaffiliated).In short, the report for the kick-off meeting should be made available at http://eippcb.jrc.es/reference/. In the coming months (not before 6 months), the EIPPCB will collect the information necessary for preparation of the initial draft do-cument, which is estimated to be submitted to the TWG for comment in early 2013.At this stage the contribution of the TWG is crucial, in parti-cular by providing data on the plant that may qualify the per-formance of the techniques applied in terms of environmental benefitsassociatedwiththeoperatingconditions,costsandany other evidence to establish the ‘applicability of the tech-nique in question. All information deemed suitable for the pre-paration of the BREF WBP dall’EIPPCB will be considered, although not coming directly from the TWG.The totality of the information received dall’EIPPCB is shared among themembersof theTWGbyaspecific informationspace (BATIS: BAT Information System) for members.A second draft of the BREF WBP will be prepared on the basis

Margherita Tiberio and Bianca Maria Scalet

11

Franco Bulian

Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione,innovazione e realtà quotidiana

Bibliography• DIRECTIVE 2010/75/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL• of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control).• DIRECTIVE 2008/1/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL• of 15 January 2008 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control. • D.Lgs.3aprile2006,n.152cosìcomemodificatodalD.Lgs.29giugno2010,n.128.• Spinetti, R., Trotta, N.V., Gasparrini, G.(2010) La nuova di Direttiva sulle emissioni degli impianti industriali.

Ambiente & Sviluppo.• Report from the Commission on the implementation of Directive 2008/1/EC concerning integrated pol-

lution prevention and control and Directive 1999/13/EC on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations.

of comments received and will be used for the preparation of thefinalmeetingduringwhichwillbediscussedinparticularthe BAT Conclusions and related emission levels associated with them (BAT-AELs).The Directive also merges 2010/75/EU and 99/13/EC Directi-ve (Directive “Solvents”) by establishing in Annex VII the th-resholds of consumption and the emission limits for the diffe-rent activities that use volatile organic solvents.However, the system of integrated environmental authoriza-tion that is the basis of 2010/75/EU Directive applies to instal-lationswhichexceedthethresholdsdefinedinAnnexI,class6.7, ieplants with a capacity of solvent consumption organic than 150 kg / hour or greater than 200 tons / year.For such plants, the emission limits must be established on the basis of BAT and BAT Conclusions- AELs that will be de-finedduringthereviewoftheSTSBREFreferencedocument(surface treatment using organic solvents).Inthespecificcaseoftheproductionofwood-basedpanels,

only those activities that are an integral part of the production cycle, which usually are performed in the same production site will be duly considered and described in the BREF WBP in BAT Conclusions. Any other activities, usually carried out se-parately from the cycle of production of wood-based panels, and making use of organic solvents will be discussed in the STS BREF document horizontally.The category of activities mentioned in clause 6.10 of Annex I of Directive 2010/75/EU on the conservation dl wood by che-micals with a production capacity of more than 75 m3/day, will be a new document reference WPC BREF. The creation of a working group (TWG) and the beginning of the drafting of the document are planned for 2012.

The European Directive (IED) 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions

Margherita Tiberio and Bianca Maria Scalet

12

Sara ZanchielloGli appartamenti - palestra

Staff CATAS

Continues the successful activity of the Federlegno Wood Expert Registry

Federlegno, the Italian Federation of wood and furniture industry, has promoted since few years, the Wood Ex-pert Registry. The Registry was created with the intent to be a valuable reference tool for anyone who needs tofindatechnicalconsultantinthewoodandfurnitu-re sector whose skills are recognized by an indepen-dentscientificbody.TheRegistry isopen toall com-panies, courts, commercial operators, the technical departmentsofpublicandprivatebodyandalsotofinalconsumers. The Registry is managed by an Operating Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Federation,whoseactivitiesareorganizedby specificrules. The Committee is composed of prominent per-sonalitiesinthespecificfieldwithexpertisesindifferentareasofscientific,regulatoryandlegalissues.Themainfunction of the Committee is to identify and select, in the face of rigorous examinations held twice a year, the technicians who may be admitted to the Registry. The Committee activity, however, is not only limited to exa-

mine the candidates, but promotes a continuous upda-ting of the members listed in the Registry with the orga-nizationofaseriesofcoursesandseminarsspecificallydevoted to them. Over the years several meetings have been dedicated to in-depth technical, regulatory and le-gal issues. The latest evidence of this activity has been a one-day course on adhesives and coatings organized at the headquarters of Federlegno in Milan on the 26th October 2011. The teaching was given by prof. Franco Bulian of CATAS also member of the Registry Operating Committee.

From the matter presented above, it is important to stress the originality of this initiative, which, in addition to meettheneedtofindoutcompetentexperts,alsode-monstrates a “dynamic” value as the preparation of the members is constantly updated to the continuous and often sudden changes of this important market sector.

13

Franco Bulian

Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione,innovazione e realtà quotidiana

A proposal for a new class for formaldehyde emission from wood based panels. The E1-plus

Franco Bulian

Class E2 ≤ 0,3 mg/m3 (≤ 0,24 ppm)Class E1 ≤ 0,124 mg/m3 (≤ 0,10 ppm)Class E1-plus ≤ 0,080 mg/m3 (≤ 0,065 ppm)

The three classes as defined in the draft revision of standard EN 13986.

The meeting of the Working Group 5 (dangerous substances) of the Tech-nical Committee CEN TC 112 has experienceda significantparticipa-tion of national delegates (25 mem-bers) as a result of the importance of the main topic under discussion, being the revision of EN 13986.The harmonized standard EN 13986 refers to the CE marking of wood-based panels for the building (con-struction) sector and, in this regard, the TC 112 and its WG 13 had alre-ady agreed to establish a new class for formaldehyde emission based on the value of 0,080 mg/m3 (0.065 ppm) with the chamber method (EN 717-1).

The experts of WG 5 were then asked to propose a name for this new class and to indicate the corre-lation limits for derived methods, i.e.

the gas analysis (EN 717-2) and the perforator (EN 120).It was decided to call this new class E1-plus. The reason is that many national laws, including the Italian, establish the exclusive use of E1 classpanels.Withthenewclassifi-cation the “E1” is therefore evident as the laws require, with and addi-tional “plus” to distinguish it from the previous class.It was also decided not to put any limit for the derived methods, as glo-bal correlations below the E1 class

are highly variable. This means that every production declared in class E1-plus would have its own QCL (quality control limit) derived from correlation studies carried out with the gas analysis of with the perfora-tor on direct responsibility of the ma-nufacturer. This system is also adop-ted by the California Rules of CARB

certification.The matter presented above has still the character of a mere proposal and will be published only after the necessary mandatory steps.It is important, however, the Ita-lian market becomes aware of this possible evolution submitting any comments in the appropriate com-missions or preparing for a possible future change of the scenarios on this subject.

14

Sara ZanchielloGli appartamenti - palestra

Paolo Balutto

Alice Santi

From the 3rd of March 2013 a EU regulation aimed at operators at the basis of the wood and wood products supply chain comes into force.Importers and retailers will be then required to produce adequate traceability documentation for wood products, similar to those imposed in the food sector.The obligation imposed by this Regulation, EU 995/2010, was born from the need to prevent illegal logged timber marketing.Importing companies will be required to apply the Due Diligence system of by making available information on:•tradenameproduct;•Countryofproduction;•quantityofimportedmaterial;•documentsestablishingtheconformityoftheproducts.They shall also carry out an assessment on wood and derived products about the risk they are illegally marketed.Retailers have the sole obligation to maintain adequate documentation about suppliers and clients to whom they sellthematerialforaminimumperiodoffiveyears.In case of non-compliance, companies will be subjected to penalties, which may include:•financialpenalties;•seizureofwoodorderivedproducts;•immediatesuspensionofthetradingauthorization.The severity of the measure is proportional to the environmental damage, to the value of wood or derived products, to the tax losses and to the economic damage resulting from the rules violation.Theentiredocumentcanbedirectlyconsultedonthehome-pagewebsiteoftheOfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion, indicating 2010 as publication year, the letter L as a GU series and 295 as the number of interest (where GU standsforGazzettaUfficiale).

AliceSantigraduatedin2011withanexperimentalthesisonthermalconductivityofwood-basedfloorscarriedout at CATAS laboratories.She is currently attending a training at a company specialized in timber trading.

Obligations for timber trade operators

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Franco Bulian

A new working group “Finishes for Wood” has been established by UNI

The 12th October 2011 has been the kick off day for the new standardization working group established by the UNI Wood Committee.The goal of this working group is to represent a reference point for all the sectors in which wood, or derived mate-rials,aresubjectedtofinishingprocessesforprotectiveand decorative purposes.

The main areas in which the working group will operate include the following:-finishingprocessesforwoodforoutdooruse;-furniturefinishingprocesses;-floorfinishingprocesses;-finishingprocessesforinteriorbuildingmaterials(do-ors, etc.).

The participation is open in particular to coating produ-cers and users which can also consider the meetings of this working group as an opportunity for dialogue and growth on standardization issues.Theinclusionofthefinishingprocessesofvariouspro-ducts within a single committee tends to facilitate com-parisons and synergies between different sectors.This latter aspect is particularly sensible for the market because, at present, the existing committees, also at a international level, are generally almost exclusively at-tended and managed by the manufacturers of the pro-ductsspecificallyconsidered.The group will also work in parallel with the following na-tional and international committees:- CEN/TC 207/WG 7 and UNI Furniture Committee;- CEN/TC 139/WG 2 and UNICHIM Committee on paints and varnishes;- CEN/TC 175 and UNI Wood Committee;- CEN/TC 351 (Assessment of release of dangerous substances).The preparatory meeting was attended by more than twenty people and the richness of the agenda has sug-gestedaspecificschedulingofactivitiessincethefirstofficialmeetingforearlynextyear.

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Sara Zanchiello (AREA SCIENCE PARK)

During the recent plenary meeting of CEN Technical Committee TC 38 (Durability of wood and wood-based products), the delegates of the 8 countries represented: Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy, have unanimously agreed to the resolution of assigning the Convenor (coordinator) of the Working Group WG 22 to Elena Conti of CATAS.

Dr. Elena Conti, biologist, is working at CATAS since 2002. She was employeed with the aim to start up a new biological section for evaluating the effectiveness of the protective treatments of wood according to Eu-ropean standards. She is now the head of this section, which over time has expanded its activity from biologi-cal tests on wood to those on other materials used in building and furnishings like fabrics, polymers, insulating materials, panels. In addition to the laboratory activities, including the implementation of quality procedures for granting and maintaining of the accreditation, Dr. Conti has been involved for years in standardization activities at national level as a member of the UNI GL 2 of Wood Committee and at the European level, as a member of several working groups of TC 38.

WG22“Performance-Assessmentandspecifications(Treated wood - wood preservatives)”, previously coor-dinated by Prof. Horst Hertel of BAM Institute of Berlin, is responsible for developing and reviewing European

standards for protective treatment of wood, in particu-lar to establish the evaluation criteria and performance requirements.

Among the standards under the responsibility of this grouptheEN599-1“Efficacyofpreventivewoodpre-servativesasdeterminedbybiologicaltests-Specifica-tion according to use class”, that determines the biolo-

gical tests shall pass for wood preservatives in order to meettheefficacyrequirementsinrelationtoclassesofintended use, is of particular importance because of its implications with the Biocides Directive 98/8 EC. Other standards assigned to WG 22 concern the spe-cificationsfor treatmentsofwood infestedbyfungiorinsects.

The role of the convenor is to coordinate the activities of the group according to the work program assigned by the TC, in this case the TC 38. In addition to organi-ze and coordinate group meetings, the responsibility of the convenor is especially that to examine the standards subjected to systematic revision, propose new work items and report on the activities of the group in the ple-nary meetings.

By its nature, a working group within CEN is asked to carry out the work assigned by the parent body (Tech-

Assigned to CATAS the secretariat of the working group WG 22 of CEN TC 38

Andrea Giavon and Franco Bulian

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Staff CATAS

nical Committee) and its participation is restricted to industry experts appointed by the national standards bodies. This appointment underlines in particular the level of competence achieved by CATAS, in this case with the person of Dr. Conti. The recognition also has an even greater value because all the other countries present at the meeting expressed great satisfaction with the choice.

The standardization work is primarily the result of the will of experts, institutions and companies to devote business and personal resources without apparent immediate return.

The active participation in national and international standards committees is in fact proper of the most far-sighted companies whose long-term vision is to have a privileged position of knowledge, preparation and anticipation. Being protagonists of the proper future and representing the interests and needs especially of the national sector involved, makes extremely meritorious the participation in standardization activities. In this line CATAS has always been at the forefront and the appointment of Dr. Conti is an example in this regard as well as an important milestone fortheInstituteandadefinitesourceofpride.

Well done Elena and good job!

Assigned to CATAS the secretariat of the working group WG 22 of CEN TC 38

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Staff CATAS

Published the book “Materiali e tecnologie dell’industria del mobile” (“Materials and technologies of the furniture industry”)

The vice-director of Catas, Dr. Franco Bulian, has re-cently published a new book that describes the features and the processes associated with wood, wood based panels, covering materials, edges, adhesives and coa-tings.Thecompositionofeachmaterialisfirstlyexami-ned. Then the book presents their properties, uses, wor-kingproceduresandfinallythemaindefectstowhichthey can be subject.The book is designed as a text for the course that Dr. Bulian held at the University of Trieste, but the basics primarily derive by the same cultural experiences at CA-TAS.The following is the brief presentation of the book edited by the Director of CATAS, Dr. Andrea Giavon.

Presentation

The Italian furniture industry has an important story, not only to tell, but also to continue to live as an absolute protagonist. Despite the great changes we are experien-cing, the most interesting technological developments still undoubtedly go through Europe with Italy as undi-sputed leader.This situation derives from the evidence that in the last thirty years all tangible developments, the most impor-tant ideas, technologies and knowledge, more or less successful, have been integral parts of the culture “of furniture manufacturing”, unknown to many, but repre-senting the solid basis of what is considered as the se-cond Italian industrial sector.The scenario described above has been characterized for a long time by a constant movement and constant evolution, considering obvious its ability to survive and regenerate itself. But now we are passing through a ge-nerational change that, moving on completely different dynamics,needsamomentofdeepreflectioninwhichto consider the current technical situation, the “state of the art” if I can use this common expression. This pu-blication of my friend and colleague Franco plays to-day this indispensable role, to record a distillation of knowledge, techniques and experiences, along with many of these shared at CATAS, which otherwise would beverydifficultandexpensivetosearchandfindouttomultiple and often unknown sources. The publication is also characterized by a format that makes it very mo-dern. It is addressed to students, but it is useful also for other different subjects in this industrial sector. Its aim is, in fact, to give them a complete overview of the comple-xity of the product they are dealing with, producing or selling. This ability of the book derives in particular in the

description, for each material, of the test methods used to evaluate performance and suitability for the end-use, through the main Italian and European technical stan-dards.The success of a product passes through the knowled-ge, the old verbal transmission, from father to son, to the present situation through the study of books that tell the story and the current technical knowledge; this text has thisspecificpurpose.

I want to close this brief presentation with a little advice for the wonderful students of our universities: close your laptopforawhileandopenthisbook,youwillfindthatis something worth the effort.

The text is available at bookshops or at: www.edizioni-goliardiche.it

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CATAS team to the Udine 2011 Telethon relay raceStaff CATAS

ForthefirstyearCATASsponsoredateamtotheTelethonrelayrace24x1hourinUdine.The team of 24 athletes was composed for more than half by CATAS technicians and for the rest by athletes of

the Udine sports gym Fitness Island. Here you are with an image of the CATAS athletes who took part to the relay race; each of them run for 1 hour starting from Friday the 16th of December at 17.00 until Saturday the 17th at

17.00. The relay race is for charity purpose, as each sponsor collects 5 € per km run.

Well done!

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Title GLUING WOOD Purchase CATAS (lab@catas.com)Author Alberto Bandel CATAS Subscriber € 35,00 + IVAEditor CATAS SpA Non CATAS Subscriber € 45,00 + IVA

Gluing Wood was written by dr. Alberto Bandel, one of the greatest European experts in the field of wood adhesives thecnology. Since the first edition (1994), the book has represented a good theoretical basis but, moreover, a signifi-cant working tool for all the manufacturers.The book is written in a simple style, with many practical examples, pictures and tables. The collaboration with CA-TAS (and in particular with ing. Speranza, dr. Giavon and dr. Bulian), especially for the normative parts, has completed the book also with some useful references to test methods and standards.The book is divided into three chapters: Adhesives in the wood Industry- Materials in the Wood Industry and Gluing Technologies) which contain different pharagraphs about subjects related both to the raw materials and the working processes.

Title THREE DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF WOOD. A scanning Electron Microscope StudyAuthors B.A. Meylan and B.G. Butterfield Purchase CATAS (lab@catas.com)(Italian translation by Angelo Speranza) CATAS Subscriber € 25,00 + IVAEditor CATAS SpA Non CATAS Subscriber € 45,00 + IVA

This book is a collection of scanning electron microscope photographs selected to illustrate various features of the structure of wood. Althought is intended to supplement general plant anatomy texts for Botany and Foresty students at the upergraduate level, it should also be useful work for anyone interested in wood science.The lists of further reading included in each section contain only general texts and revelant paper on each topic.

Title WOOD COATINGS. THEORY AND PRACTICE Authors Franco Bulian and Jon Graystone Purchase Specialised bookstores - Language English Internet web sites: www.elsevier.com,Editor Elsevier www.amazon.com

Wood Coatings, written by Franco Bulian (CATAS) and Jon Graystone (Paint Research Association) addresses the factors responsible for the performance of wood coatings in both domestic and industrial situations. The term ‘wood coatings’ covers a broad range of products including stains, varnishes, paints and supporting ancillary products that may be used indoors or outdoors. Techniques for coating wood go back many centuries but in recent decades there has been a move towards more environmentally-friendly materials, for example, the use of water-borne rather than solvent-borne chemicals. A major objective of Wood Coatings is to explain the underlying factors that influence selection, application and general operational issues. Basic information on the chemistry and technology of coatings is included for the benefit of students and laboratory technicians. Additio-nally, the book includes individual chapters of interest to architects, specifiers, and industrial users.

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www.catas.com