New Recyclable & Biodegradable Building Material Based On Plant Starches Developed

November 6th, 2013 by James Ayre

A novel new form of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) that’s both biodegradable and recyclable can be created by substituting a resin derived from common plant starches, such as those in potatoes, for the urea and formaldehyde that are typically used in MDF.

The new creation is thanks to research from the University of Leicester. The researchers behind the new resin think that the development of the new recyclable MDF will help to reduce the enormous waste that typically accompanies the use of MDF — as it stands now, most of the huge quantities of MDF produced annually in the UK ends up in the incinerator or the landfill within a year or two, as it cannot be recycled.

Cupboards. Image Credit: © Andy Abbott

Given that most MDF in the UK is used primarily for short-term applications in the retail sector, the development of an MDF-substitute that can actually be recycled could do a great deal to help reduce the quantity of waste produced by the retail sector, according to the researchers.

The University of Leicester provides more info:

MDF is made by breaking down bits of wood into wood fibres, which are then pressurized and stuck together with resin and wax. The resin is currently composed of urea and formaldehyde (UF), the use of which is restricted due to health concerns. Professor Abbott’s new resin means that the use of UF is avoided and therefore so too are the associated concerns.

With the aid of colleagues at the Biocomposites Centre, Bangor University and the Leicestershire-based retail design company Sheridan and Co, his team have produced starch-based boards which have been made into retail display units. Professor Abbott’s new material is easier to manufacture and easier to work with than current MDF boards.

The experimental part of the research was led by Dr Will Wise, who stated: “It has been a technological challenge to develop material with the correct properties, but it is a great thrill to see the finished boards which look identical to the MDF which is so commonly used.”

The new material is easier to manufacture than existing MDF as the components are easily pre-mixed and only set on the application of heat and pressure; end user feedback suggests it is also easier to work with than currently available MDF boards.

The researchers recently won the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation for the new recyclable MDF, after receiving the award, Professor Abbott stated: “The Brian Mercer Award is fundamental in enabling us to take this project forward to the next stage; it means we can now scale up our process from laboratory to the full scale manufacture of a product that I hope will revolutionize industries dependent on MDF and provide them with a more environmentally-friendly alternative.”

In total, the award will provide the researchers with about £172,347 — nearly all of which will be used “to create a supply chain to create prototypes for the point-of-sale market.”

The research team is also currently in the process of developing new fillers for plastics based on orange and banana peels and eggshells.

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: biodegradable MDF, MDF, MDF formaldehyde free, medium density fibreboard, medium density fibreboard recyclable, Recyclable MDF, University of Leicester, University of Leicester MDF

About the Author

James Ayre 's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.

ergodesk

Wood is Bad for construction, this is worse.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  Wood is bad for construction? ‘splain that to me.
  - ergodesk
    
    Bob, have noticed lately that Climate Change has been destroying wooden houses like you eat cotton candy? It’s the same idea.
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      No, can’t say I’ve seen that happening.
      
      I just went over and tried to take a bite out of my window trim. Wasn’t at all like cotton candy. More like rock candy.
      - ergodesk
        
        Was your window trim MDF?
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Pine and Doug fir that I cut and milled on my property.
      - ergodesk
        
        I;m just guessing but you probably lie by the river.
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Well, I try to lie as little as possible. But when I must I pretty much lie wherever I need to.
      - ergodesk
        
        I like your honesty Bob.
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Well, thanks, but I still don’t know why wood is bad for construction.
      - ergodesk
        
        We need TREES in our quest to recover from Global Warming. Wood is very poor quality today so we must look for alternative materials.
        
        Advanced, Super Insulated, Building Systems
        
        *RebelMouse *
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Well, it is the case that we’ve used a lot of our old growth trees but second, third, fourth, etc. generation is fine for construction.
        
        And when we build a building with wood we are sequestering carbon for the life of the building.
      - ergodesk
        
        Not sure if you are kidding now but, most recent disaster have destroyed new homes and we are using wood that should be left in the forest to do what you suggest., not be cut down. I suggest we use Air and Thin-Shell Concrete for rebuilding. https://www.udemy.com/constructing-super-insulated-passive-net-zero-homes/
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        I find all sorts of building technologies interesting and I suspect we’ll come up with panelized building techniques that work really well. But have you look at the GHG footprint of the thin-shell concrete approach?
        
        I’m not suggesting it’s higher than standard construction techniques but concrete is one of our major GHG producers. And the foam pellets/board is made with pentane, a product derived from petroleum (think carbon that used to be sequestered).
        
        And, standing up for wood, a mature tree that reaches the end of it’s life may be rotted back to atmospheric carbon in a decade. If harvested and embedded in a building that carbon might stay out of the carbon cycle for a couple of years.
      - ergodesk
        
        A regular wood framed house has a 8″ thick concrete foundation. This quanity of concrete will supply 3 EPS Composite builds of the same size.
        
        The EPS used for framing is also the Insulation and it’s double the R-Value of regular wood framed construction. The real value is, EPS is 98% Air, so transportation is easy and less expensive and it will last for 1000’s of years, when encased in the concrete shell. The cost in materials and labour is unparalleled in the industry. http://about.me/ergodesk
        
        Advanced, Super Insulated, Building Systems
        
        *RebelMouse *
      - ergodesk
        
        An ironic surprise Polystyrene is a product of Nat Gas and petroleum, but any energy expended in the production of wood lumber is is only a very small fraction of that producing a EPS Composite Home. This alone weights heavily in favour of Polystyrene materials.
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        That ‘about me’ page is a mess. Do you have a good web site?
        
        Might it be the http gobbledygook at the bottom of your post?
      - ergodesk
        
        Do a Google search or click on this if it dosn’t turn into gobbledygook http://goo.gl/hAchxB and Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=8132924&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile or
        link to me on Skype at *ergodesk*
        
        Advanced, Super Insulated, Building Systems
        
        *RebelMouse *
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        My web skills are pathetic. You’re making me feel good about myself.
        
        From what I can tell you’re trying to get people to pay you money in order to get the basics of this ferro-foam building approach.
        
        Not interested.
      - ergodesk
        
        No Bob, It’s just Information, and all for FREE, sorry about that.
Wayne Williamson

Very interesting. Reminds me of making mashed potatoes and mix/stirring them to long…you end up with something like glue. I wonder if this is where they got the idea.