WSU turning recycled carbon fiber into green building materials~~
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University researchers are working with a Port Angeles nonprofit organization to develop new housing materials from heat‑treated wood and recycled carbon fiber used in Boeing airplanes.
Researchers from WSU’s Composite Materials and Engineering Center (CMEC) are assisting the Composites Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) in Port Angeles to produce construction‑grade cross‑laminated timber (CLT). A demonstration panel for the first phase of the project will be on display from March 19–21 at the 2019 International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Ore.
Cross‑laminated timber is a relatively new building material in the U.S. that has significant advantages in sustainability over many traditional housing materials, said Don Bender, CMEC director and Weyerhaeuser Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who is the lead investigator for WSU.
“CLT can be made from small‑diameter timber that is thinned from forests to improve forest health and to reduce wildfire risk. Using the timber in CLT, instead of allowing it to burn, reduces polluting carbon emissions that contribute to global warming, said Bender.
By Siddharth Vodnala, Voiland College of Engineering (READ MORE)
