Construction employs cross-laminated timber and glued laminated timber, both of which currently alternate layers of wood with polyurethane resin. Covestro and partners are looking into biogenous, aliphatic polyisocyanates and polyols based on vegetable oils. Covestro’s system is also reinforced with cellulose fibers.
The work is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the project sponsor, Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V, according to Plastics Today.
“At the end of this process, we will have the first ever reinforcing materials for use in timber construction that are made up of at least 90% renewable raw materials,” Covestro’s Paul Heinz tells the publication. This “will make state-of-the-art timber construction with cross-laminated and glue-laminated timber even more sustainable.”
The Fraunhofer Institute is aiding in pilot-scale process efforts, and Sortimo International will produce an industry-standard model to evaluate the technical, economic and ecological potential of the new material and production process.