Construction International News - November 2012
BioFoamBark: Germany’s Greener Building Insulation
Posted by Paul Fiddian - Construction International Reporter on 02/11/2012 - 06:25:00
German researchers are developing a new greener type of insulation foam, for use in construction projects.
Based at the University of Freiburg, they're removing the petroleum-based contents of standard insulation foam and replacing them with tannin - a tree bark compound.
Ordinarily, this tannin is the disposable element of logging: while trees are cut down and then either treated in situ or transported off to other locations, the tannin's simply thrown away. However, when processed in the right way, it's the basis of a range of tough, durable and flame-resistant foams - ideal for building insulation.
BioFoamBark
That's the premise of the BioFoamBark project now being progressed at the University of Freiburg, which is backed by several organisations including the Freiburg-based Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and the German government's Agency for Renewable Resources. Additional supporters include a number of French, Slovenian, Italian, Finnish and Spanish industrial and commercial partners.
The BioFoamBark project was launched in February this year and, led by Professor Doctor Marie-Pierre Laborie, it's now secured 15,000 Euros in funding after winning a ‘German High-Tech Champion' award, presented by the Fraunhofer Association.
Greener Building Insulation
Besides producing greener building insulation, this BioFoamBark should also have applications within the car manufacturing industry. Its developers say the BioFarmBark could even be converted into biofuel at the end of its natural life, further enhancing its environmental credentials.
"We want to relieve the burden on the environment by increasing the usefulness of wood and offering a marketable alternative to petroleum-based foams", Professor Labourie explained in a recent University of Freiburg press release.
The BioFarmBark is similar to another project in Israel, which started when a Hebrew University of Jerusalem student began producing bio-foam from waste materials. Now, more than a year after his work caught the attention of the media, he's the co-founder of a bio-based composite solutions firm named Melodea, specialising in transforming biomass waste into new, high-value materials for the engineering, electronics, industrial and transportation markets.
Image copyright Cdpweb161 - courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Used solely for representative purposes
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