Thousands of uses. Wood and its secrets

It is estimated that wood has over thirty thousand uses. From the most popular ones, such as matches, boards, and wood-based panels, to the use of structural wood, especially glued laminated timber technology. This type of raw material is extremely valuable when we consider the effects of excessive plastic use. Over the last decade, humanity has produced more plastic than in the entire 20th century.

Although cheaper synthetic materials have taken over the world, products made of wood and wood-based materials are present at every stage of our daily lives. The number of applications reaches as many as thirty thousand, and scientists are looking for new ways to use this raw material, e.g., in construction or industry.

Wooden skyscrapers

Wood is a material with a lower negative impact on the environment than concrete and steel, which are used extensively in standard construction. According to the Świat OZE website, the construction sector is responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, 11% of which results from the production of construction materials and products such as steel, cement, and glass. That is why companies in the industry are looking for more environmentally friendly solutions, such as concrete with a reduced carbon footprint.

Wood is a durable, easy-to-process raw material, and in addition, it significantly reduces CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. It is also an excellent thermal insulator. It retains heat much better than concrete or brick, which reduces heating costs, hence its popularity in Scandinavia, for example.

Wooden skyscrapers are a futuristic vision. Such buildings have already been constructed in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Austria, among other countries. The Norwegians hold the height record with their Mjøstårnet skyscraper in the city of Brumunddal. The building is 85 meters high and has 18 floors. It was constructed using cross-laminated timber technology. However, the Swiss are already planning to build a skyscraper in Zurich – Rocket&Tigerli, which will reach a height of 100 meters.

Poland boasts the tallest wooden structure in Europe. It is the 111-meter-high broadcasting of the Gliwice Radio Tower. In 1939, the authorities of the Third Reich used the radio station for the “Gliwice provocation,” which, according to the propaganda of the time, became the cause of the outbreak of World War II. The facility belongs to the local museum. Currently, it serves educational purposes as a historical site, where almost all of the technical equipment of the former broadcasting station has been preserved. The radio station is supported by over 50 antennas installed on the tower, including those for mobile phones.

In October 2019, the Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology launched the BASAJAUN project. Its main objective is to develop a strategy for optimizing forest resources for the construction of a model house (16 apartments on 4 floors). The building will be based mainly on wood and wood-based materials. The project involves 30 partners from 12 countries, mainly European (Spain, Finland, Hungary, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Belgium, and Chile), and is coordinated by Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation from Spain.

Sport on wood

Wood is used not only to build offices and houses, but also sports facilities. We already know of examples such as the wooden football stadium in Gloucestershire in the British Isles and plans to build a wooden airport. Track cycling competitions, on the other hand, take place in a velodrome, an oval sports facility surrounded by stands and social rooms.

In the past, tracks were mainly built of concrete and were uncovered. Now, for various reasons, covered structures are preferred. The surface of a cycling track is made of wooden planks. Siberian pine is most commonly used. Most tracks have two straights and two curves, known as banked turns, although there are also more oval-shaped structures, such as the track in Ghent, Belgium. A standard facility, i.e., an Olympic track, is 250 meters long, 11 meters wide, and has a slope of 42 degrees in the curves and 15 degrees on the straights, which allows for maximum speed.

In the event of falls, which often occur at high speeds (up to 70 km/h), competitors usually break pieces of wood from the surface or cause deep scratches in it. As a result, the entire panel must be replaced.

Wood like glass

One innovative solution is the creation of transparent wood. Researchers from the University of Maryland and the Wallenberg Wood Science Center in Stockholm, among others, are working on this technology. The transparency effect is achieved by removing or modifying individual pigments.

The glass-like material not only insulates better, but is also stronger and less susceptible to breakage. The process of preparing the transparent raw material involves extracting lignin, which affects its color, similar to what happens in paper production. In the next step, the wood is filled with synthetic resin, which increases the hardness of the material. The downside of this solution is the use of large amounts of chemicals in its production.

Researchers from Maryland focused on a different method. They examined the properties of hydrogen peroxide, a substance used to lighten hair. After applying the chemical compound, they exposed the material to UV rays and then used ethanol and epoxy to clean and fill the wood. As a result, they managed to obtain a structure much stronger than glass, transmitting about 90% of light. The results of the American researchers’ work are available in, for example, “Science Advances”.

Wooden bottles

Companies around the world are looking for ways to replace plastic with biodegradable materials. Finland is leading the way in this eco-friendly approach, with projects that could revolutionize the industry in the future.

Sulapac has developed a substance consisting of 88% wood waste and sugar cane. Currently, only small bottles for cosmetics are being produced, but there are plans to replace the PET plastic bottles used, for example, for water. In addition to packaging, tests are also being conducted on plastic cutlery, pens, combs, toothbrushes, and phone cases, i.e., everyday items.

Paptic, on the other hand, is working on a wood fiber-based material that will replace plastic bags. These bags, used for everyday shopping, are one of the causes of global environmental pollution.

A global problem

It is estimated that around ten million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. For many years, a huge island of waste has been floating in the Pacific Ocean – the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch may cover as much as 1.6 km2. It is the largest landfill on Earth. According to researchers, the world’s largest economies, including China, Japan, the US, Korea, and Taiwan, are responsible for this situation.

Over the last decade, humanity has produced more plastic than in the entire 20th century. The shelves of the largest retail chains are filled with items made of plastic. This situation poses a huge threat to all living beings and the entire ecosystem on the planet, as plastics can take between 100 and even 1,000 years to decompose (e.g., a plastic bag takes 400 years to decompose). The real effects of our current actions will only be known to future generations.

It is also worth looking at the other side of the coin. The use of synthetic materials also has its positive aspects. 3D printers can now print almost anything, from everyday items to specialized parts used in medical equipment, prosthetics, and even firearms. On the occasion of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the British federation, in collaboration with two companies – the automotive company Lotus and the engineering company Hope Technology – printed a prototype bicycle for track cyclists. The Lotus x Hope HB.T. model was designed for maximum aerodynamic improvement, which is why the fork was widened, and ultra-lightweight carbon fiber was used. Ultimately, the British team brought home seven medals (three gold, three silver, and two bronze) from the velodrome in Izu, becoming the most successful team.

One way to solve the problems of excessive plastic use is to increase the reliance on wood and wood-based materials more often in the manufacture of various products in industry and in household construction. Of course, this should not be taken to extremes, as trees need several decades to be ready for felling, and their mass felling will also have negative consequences for future generations.

At Łukasiewicz – PIT, we design development strategies for the forestry and wood sector, mainly at the macro- and meso-economic level. The interdisciplinary nature of the research means that it fits in with such socio-economic development concepts as: sustainable economy, circular/zero-waste economy, green/low-carbon economy, and especially bioeconomy. Details are available here.