Cora

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Uitgewerkt conceptfase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

Initially validated, needs further improvement

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

More that 100 million tonnes of un-utilized lignocellulosic agricultural waste is generated every year. Some of them have even very interesting mechanical properties that worth to find a use for. My initiative is about using a natural waste source in the building industry where we can replace fully synthetic or wood based product to create a more sustainable alternative.

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

The raw material is an abundant material that is otherwise incinerated or left to rot on the field, creating CO2 and methane. With utilizing this material source we a fraction of new material source. Like in case of synthetics or fights against deforestation as no wood need to be cut for the product.

Besides the design is optimized the supporting frame to further reduce material use, that in larger production could save around 50% of the material and energy usage compared to a conventional framing.

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

Further product development is needed to optimize the processing of the raw material and finding the correct binding agent that can be approved by the industry but non-toxic, preferably biodegradable.

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

The idea is currently targeting one type of product but the material is very versatile. It could serve multiple purposes. I would love to make partherships with companies who has expertise in wooden particle board production. Who with we could crate a new material that could replace a large amount of the conventional particle boards in many applications starting from domestic furniture to construction grade products.