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Researchers have found a way to turn sawdust into a durable and sustainable interior wall panel, but whether it gets commercialized as a product depends on how cost-effectively manufacturers can access a mineral that\u2019s key to the production process.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The key ingredient is struvite, a crystalline ammonium magnesium phosphate that builds up in water treatment plant pipes.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In pipes, the mineral is a problem. It creates clogs that can lead to backups. But because it has fire-resistant properties, it can have utility in building applications, including panel boards, researchers at the Swiss university ETH Zurich <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>say in an article<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> they published on the institution\u2019s website.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe struvite sawdust panels essentially protect themselves,\u201d says Ronny K\u00fcrsteiner, a doctoral candidate and research assistant at the university, who developed the process as part of his doctoral thesis.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStruvite is not only non-combustible, it also helps to actively increase fire resistance,\u201d the article says. \u201cWhen heated, the mineral breaks down, releasing water vapor and ammonia. This process absorbs heat from the surrounding environment, producing a cooling effect. The non-combustible gases that are released also displace the air, hindering the fire from spreading further.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n By itself, struvite is brittle, so researchers mixed it with an enzyme extracted from watermelon seeds. That strengthened the mineral to the point where it could be used as a filler for the sawdust.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The enzyme works by enlarging the struvite crystals so they fill the cavities between the sawdust particles, binding them together. When the compound is poured into a mold, heated and then cooled, it creates a panel that can be used as building material.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe material is stronger \u2026 than the original spruce timber\u201d from which the sawdust is derived,\u201d K\u00fcrsteiner said.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The panel boards are also sustainable, the article says. When they\u2019re ground up and heated, the components separate and can be reconstituted into new panels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis new material could therefore be an important contributor to the circular economy,\u201d it says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Using struvite as a building material wouldn\u2019t be cheap. Compared with polymer binders or cement, the mineral is relatively expensive, the article says. But if manufacturers can find a way to access it cost-effectively from sewage treatment plants, they would gain a source for the mineral while also helping to keep pipes from clogging.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe could use these deposits as a raw material for our building material,\u201d says K\u00fcrsteiner.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n