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According to the provided information from the North American Forest Foundation, plastic is the least energy-efficient material to produce, requiring 62-108 MJ of energy per kilogram. Plastic is derived from nonrenewable fossil fuels such as crude oil and natural gas.
Steel production from iron involves mining iron ore and melting it in a blast furnace. The energy requirement to produce one kilogram of steel from iron ranges from 20-50 MJ. However, when steel is produced from recycled steel, the energy requirement reduces to 6-15 MJ per kilogram. It is worth noting that approximately half of steel production uses recycled steel, while the other half uses virgin iron, which is more energy-intensive.
Wood, on the other hand, is a renewable resource that requires significantly less energy to produce compared to plastic and steel. The production of one kilogram of wood sourced from standing timber requires only 3-7 MJ of energy. This makes wood a much more energy-efficient option, approximately 1/17th as energy-intensive as plastic and 1/7th as energy-intensive as steel from iron.
Furthermore, wood products have the advantage of storing carbon, which helps offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with wood production. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that wood-based materials and products have lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to materials like concrete, metal, bricks, and plastic.
Considering these factors, wood can be considered an excellent green alternative to fossil fuel-intensive materials like plastic and steel. Its low energy requirements and carbon storage properties make it an environmentally responsible choice.
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