: Technology In HVAC, Energy Saving, Technological Innovations, Future Innovations, New Innovations In Cooing Industries, Technology News | Latest Technology In Cooling World, Upcoming Technology In Refrigeration Industries | Cool wood’ can help to keep buildings cool - Cooling India Monthly Business Magazine on the HVACR Business | Green HVAC industry | Heating, Ventilation, Air conditioning and Refrigeration News Magazine Updates, Articles, Publications on HVACR Business Industry | HVACR Business Magazine
Cool wood’ can help to keep buildings cool

University research groups claim to have developed a new wood-based building material which is able to passively take heat out of homes or offices. Researchers at the University of Maryland and University of Colorado Boulder have created the new material by removing lignin, the key organic polymer that gives wood its strength and colour. The resulting pale wood made of cellulose nanofibers was then compressed to restore its strength and a super hydrophobic compound added for protection and to make it water repellent.

But it also absorbs infrared light, which means the wood warms up in the sun. The researchers heated and compressed the remaining cellulose, creating an engineered wood that’s eight times stronger than the natural variety.

The engineered wood is not just strong. The pale-coloured cellulose reflects almost all incoming visible light and absorbs very little infrared light, reflecting it away. It is also able to absorb heat from its surroundings, and radiate it back out. It can cool down surfaces it’s attached to by up to 10C and could reduce energy costs by 20 per cent to 60 per cent according to a paper in Science.

Air conditioning is a significant, and rapidly growing, contributor to global warming. It creates a vicious circle, pumping out heat from buildings, which then increases the need to use AC. Buildings made from this engineered wood should let us rely on it a little bit less.

It is a useful contribution to the field of heat-reducing materials, but it would be much more expensive than standard wood, which is rarely used for roofing. Much of the growth in dwellings around the world is in the form of urban apartment blocks, which are often made of cheap concrete. This sort of wood could potentially be used as external cladding, but it’s flammable and less durable than other materials.

Leave a Reply