Photo courtesy of Michigan Technological University
The construction sector is responsible for a huge amount of the emissions that cause the planet to overheat, mainly due to the manufacturing process of common building materials such as concrete and steel. As a result, some in the industry are eyeing wood as a potential building material of the future.
Of course, wood is one of the oldest building materials on earth, but the technology for its use is still evolving to meet the needs of modern society. At Michigan Technological University, researchers are developing a new way to produce wood suitable for large-scale construction projects, Inside Climate News reported.
Their research focuses on creating cross-laminated timber (an artificially manufactured building material made of layers of wood and resin) from hardwoods (maple, birch, oak, etc.). Traditionally, trout wood has been made using coniferous trees (pine, spruce, fir, etc.). The researchers said being able to use more types of wood in the process would open up new possibilities for the industry.
“I don't think it's a good thing to characterize it as a competitor to softwoods. I see this as a diversification of wood as a building material. The key is to replace carbon with all the bio-based “We want to use strong materials like concrete and steel,” said Mark Rudnicki, director of Michigan Technological University's Hardwood Trout Wood Research Institute.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the building and construction sector is responsible for a whopping 37% of global pollution. This is a huge amount, and it is clear that the industry must change to meet the climate goals set out at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The next step for hardwood cross-laminated timber is to gain North American Manufacturing Code approval, which is expected to be approved within the next few years.
“If approved, I think it will be good for the economy of states that have hardwoods on the market,” said Raju Poharel, a forest economics professor at MSU. “If demand increases, prices may go up a little bit, but I don't think it will have a big impact.” [on] wood price. ”
Elsewhere, researchers are finding ways to make concrete and steel less carbon-intensive through methods such as using processes that trap air pollution inside concrete and completely overhauling the steel manufacturing process. trying to find out.
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