Science

Engineered wood is stronger, fights climate change by capturing CO2

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Wood at different stages of modification from natural (far right) to delignified (second from right), through to MOF-infused engineered wood (left of image)
Wood at different stages of modification from natural (far right) to delignified (second from right), through to MOF-infused engineered wood (left of image)
Natural wood (left) and delignified wood. The process of removing lignin makes the wood colorless

With the world focused on addressing climate change, scientists have had to get creative when it comes to developing sustainable building materials that tackle carbon dioxide emissions. Scientists have now devised a new way of engineering wood that makes it stronger and captures carbon dioxide from the air.

Carbon dioxide is recognized as a fundamental contributing factor to climate change. Limiting carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of structural materials like steel, metal, and cement is a way of indirectly addressing climate change. A direct approach is reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide by capturing it in structural materials.

Scientists at Rice University, Texas, have exploited the natural properties of wood to enhance its ability to capture carbon dioxide. The process involves the introduction of highly-porous microparticle metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into the wood after the internal framework has been cleared out. This process is known as delignification.

“Wood is made up of three essential components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin,” said Muhammad Rahman, corresponding author of the study. “Lignin is what gives wood its color, so when you take lignin out, the wood becomes colorless.”

Natural wood (left) and delignified wood. The process of removing lignin makes the wood colorless

Once it has been delignified, the wood is ready to house the MOF.

“The MOF particles easily fit into the cellulose channels and get attached to them,” said Soumyabrata Roy, a Rice research scientist and lead author of the study. The MOFs then adsorb carbon dioxide.

MOFs are not generally known for their stability under varying environmental conditions. They tend to be vulnerable to moisture, which is obviously something to be avoided in a structural material.

However, in their study, the team at Rice found that the MOF they used – which had been developed by Professor George Shimizu and his colleagues at the University of Calgary – exceeded others in terms of its performance and versatility under various conditions.

Testing the engineered wood's tensile strength, it was found to be stronger than normal, untreated wood and more able to withstand environmental stressors such as bending. They also claim the process used to produce the wood is potentially scalable and energy efficient.

Building construction and use contributes more than 40% of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions, so this discovery opens up the possibility of a greener construction alternative. One that is sustainable and renewable.

The study was published in Cell Reports Physical Science.

Source: Rice University

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6 comments
Ric
That stat about building construction and use seems a bit misleading. Construction, of course. But what does building use have to do with anything. Isn’t heating the building considered “use”? And lighting it? What do these have to do with what material is used for the skeleton of it? And what’s the breakdown between construction and use? 10% construction and 30% use? 20/20? 1% and 39% Unless I’m missing something that stat is pretty much meaningless.
Expanded Viewpoint
And what happens to those MOF particles when the building catches on fire, or it is damaged beyond repair and is taken down and used as firewood? How big of a "Carbon footprint" does the making of those MOF particles leave behind? By how much does this treated wood increase the cost of building a house or other structure? When the modified wood is cut, does it require the wearing of special protective gear?
And, it says that this specially treated wood ADSORBS the CO2 from the air, but that means it can hold only a certain amount of the plant life giving gas before it will not hold any more! What is done with it then? Is it sucked back out with some kind of built in vacuum cleaner system? What is the "Carbon footprint" of THAT process?? So, it's all just some more Green Kool-aide virtue signaling by people who should know better.
Aermaco
I've read it's 27% used in buildings with 13% in the materials.
The use of this engineered wood would need to be no more expensive than normal engineered wood which is essentially gluing smaller pieces together both adding more strength while utilizing wastes and smaller unusable pieces. However, the best is to use sustainably farmed forest-managed wood that only needs milling and shipping.
1stClassOPP
So, if they’re delignifying the wood, what are they replacing it with to make it stronger? You know, the engendered part or the product.
WONKY KLERKY
Eeehhh
Wood that traps CO2 ???
Wot will God think of next ???
dcris
Hemp lumber...it's already being produced at a number of new hemp mills around the USA and is superior to tradition lumber.... give it a decade and some investing and it will overtake the lumber industry. Oh and did I say it can grow in one season what take trees a couple of decades and more to grow. Save the forests...grow Hemp.