Characterization and control of terpene emissions in Finnish sawmills

This article describes an experimental study of terpene emission rates duri ng fresh pine and spruce sawing and processing. Total terpene emission was determined by summing the product of the exhaust airflow rate and the mean concentration in the exhaust. Terpene concentrations were measured at fixed sampling points between the sawing lines. Terpene emission during pine saw ing was found to be around 10 times greater than that during spruce sawing. The emission rates given here can be used to predict emission rates for va rious production rates. The predicted emission rates can be used in mass ba lance models to predict concentrations or required airflow rates to achieve the target concentration level.