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Straw-Based Building Products
January 27, 2000
HousingZone
Summary
If you were to hear about a building product that is cheap, available everywhere, and can be used to replace many wood products that are high in cost and low in supply, you probably wouldn't believe your ears. However, straw-based building products provide all of these benefits in addition being resistant to fire, water, and termites.
Details
Straw is a by-product from crops such as wheat, rye, rice, and flax that is left over after all the food products have been extracted. It is gathered, baled, and transported to a factory, where it is transformed into a wood-like product by compressing it under high temperatures that bond the straw fibers to together, sometimes without adhesives. A high-quality finish can be applied to the outside of the panel to providing a surface fit for exposed applications. To create a stronger structural panel, the straw board can be sandwiched between two oriented strand boards (OSB).
Installation
Straw-based building panels are installed in the same manner as similar wood-based products. Larger, denser panels can be heavy and require the use of a crane for installation.
Benefits/Costs
Straw-based products make use of a resource that would otherwise be wasted and reduce the requirement for wood. Straw is cheap and available everywhere, thus reducing transportation costs. It is resistant to fire, termites, and water, and its inertness and low protein level prohibit deterioration. No harmful adhesives or binders are required.
Limitations
Large straw-based panels are heavy and require assistance when lifting and the number of suppliers and manufacturers is limited. The thermal properties may not be as good as initially reported—this would make the panels more suitable for use with interior partitions rather than as part of the external envelope.
Code/Regulatory
Claims of thermal performance for compressed straw panels vary among manufacturers. R-values (the measurement of resistance to heat flow) are at least R-1.25 per inch. Fire and termite resistance is very good.
Availability
Several companies supply straw-based building panels and more companies are expected to enter the market. There is a large resource of straw in the U.S. from wheat, rye, oats, and barley. If 25 percent of this supply could be used for building products, there would be an annual resource of about 35 million tons.
Compressed straw panels are available in sizes ranging from 2 inches to 4 inches in thickness.
Contact(s)
Do you have a specific question about this technology and/or its 'real life' applications? Try the contacts listed below:
Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Corporation
1400 Independence Ave. S.W.
Room 0156
Washington 20250-0401
202-690-1633
http://www.usda.gov/
HomeBase Hotline
NAHB Research Center, Inc.
400 Prince George's Boulevard
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
800-898-2842
http://www.nahbrc.org
Naturall Fibre Boards
P.O. Box 175
Minneapolis, KS 67467
800-799-4328(CONTENT)
© 2010, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.
