White nanowood material promises extraordinary insulation

University of Maryland engineers have created a new insulating material that is capable of blocking temperatures as high as 100 degrees Celsius compared to foam or silica. It's also 30 times more insulating than styrofoam, and looks much more environmentally friendly.

"Nanowood," as the study team called, was produced by taking some of the usual basswood logs in the US in early tests - and removing all lignin from it. Lignin contributes to making this wood yellow / brown and produces a certain hardness. It is completely eliminated when creating perfect white material without yellowing.

In fact, the process of producing nanowood is very similar to that of wood-paper cutting, then boiled with sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite, then treated with hydrogen peroxide to remove lignin and most hemicellulose, and The mixture is then dried to create a new material that maintains the structure of the wood, rather than crushed as you would produce paper.

When the lignin is removed from a wood block, what you have left is a bundle of light white cellulose fibers structured like wood fibers.

These fibers not only act as extremely efficient insulators but also provide better thermal resistance than styrene or silicon materials commonly used in home insulation.

This fibrous wood material responds positively to sunlight due to its white color and its natural cellulose fibers are hypoallergenic. It can also be completely decomposed, and can be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes including blocks, sheets and rolls.

It's certainly a fascinating material, apparently with a lot of work to do before it becomes the most widely used insulation material in the future.