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LifeTime Lumber Technical FAQ’s...printable version
Q: Is coal ash a hazardous material?
A: To be classified as a hazardous material, the EPA requires that a substance exhibit characteristics of corrosivity, flammability, ignitability or that it fail a leaching test known as the toxicity characteristics leach procedure (TCLP). Fly ash is NOT ignitable, corrosive or flammable and fresh fly ash (the type used by Life Time Lumber) passes the TCLP test. Fly ash contains small amounts of the metals that are typically found in coal, from which ash was derived. Metals such as manganese, aluminum, iron, arsenic, mercury and other minerals are found throughout the earth’s crust. Fly ash has very small amounts of these metals, slightly more than the levels found in common soil and rocks. As a result of the accident at the Kingston Station in Tennessee where large amounts of ash stored in a holding pond were released following a structural failure of the pond, the EPA is evaluating the need for more stringent disposal regulations. Whereas some groups have labeled fly ash as hazardous, fly ash is not classified as hazardous by the US EPA or any state in the United States.
Q: How does Lifetime Lumber use fly ash?
A: Lifetime lumber takes inorganic fly ash and uses it as a mineral filler to form an engineered product that can be used as lumber in many situations. The fly ash and its constituents are bound securely in the manufactured wood products which prevents any release of the metals or other elements in fly ash into the environment.
Q: Does this mean that LifeTime Lumber can be considered eco-friendly?
A: Overall LifeTime Lumber can be said to be one the greenest wood-alternative products on the market. This amazing wood-substitute boasts numerous environmentally friendly attributes and is a sustainable alternative to wood and thermoplastic composites which can be harmful to the environment.
LifeTime Lumber eases the demand for logging and reduces associated energy costs of manipulating and transporting raw wood for processing. Our products are also made via a more energy efficient manufacturing process than other wood-substitute lumbers. Using fly ash, which might otherwise have to be disposed, allows the substitution of an industrial by-product into materials that can replace natural wood products. This saves landfill space and conserves wood for other uses.
Furthermore, Life Time Lumber conforms to recycled content and other sustainable requirements under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating SystemTM as well as other similar “green building” initiatives.
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