Scientists turn used wood into stronger blocks of steel | Science and Ecology | Dr..

Leftover or discarded wood scraps were converted into functional blocks of a more resistant material than steel or titanium. As it usually happens in this kind of scientifically verified transformation, the magic is in the method.

The starting point was to research to ensure that damaged or leftover wood was incorporated into a file recycling circle Much wider than the current one.

With this in mind, scientists at the University of British Columbia in Canada have developed a procedure to turn this seemingly useless timber into a material that could be very attractive, for example, in the construction industry.

This process is called lignin removal and aims to dissolve the lignin present in the wood. Lignin is a high molecular weight aromatic polymer. When removed from the wood, the cellulose nanofibers that can be assembled to form new structures are exposed from them.

Strength superior to steel

When two pieces come into contact in this way, the nanofibers tend to conform to what scientists call “treated wood.” mechanical strength “We use the inherent properties of cellulose, which tends to bond strongly through what we call ‘aggregation through hydrogen’,” says Orlando Rojas of the University of British Columbia.

In the laboratory, the mechanical resistance of materials obtained by lignin removal and aggregation is superior to that of similar blocks of stainless steel or titanium.

Although this entire process has been tested under laboratory conditions, Rojas and his team stress that obtaining “treated wood” requires no more resources than those typically used in wood processing. For this reason, the potential industrial application of this process “will also not be a problem,” says the scientist.

EL (New World, Nature)