Corn Board Manufacturing, Inc has patented a corn-based composite board that can successfully replace the traditional plywood fiberboard. The invention makes use of corn stover, (corn husks and stalks) providing a non-toxic material for construction.
Moreover, corn boards could play an important part in trapping excess CO2 that is released when corn stover decomposes. According to an estimation made by the University of Illinois, about 4,000 pounds of corn stover is left in the field for each acre of corn that is planted. It is to be noted that in the U.S. approximately 86 million acres of corn are grown every year.
Dubbed CoarnBoard, the invention could be used for other wood-derived products such as furniture and cabinets. The company plans to develop products that don’t contain harmful chemicals and don’t contain toxins. To build houses, CornBoard uses a non-toxic binder based on resin.
Other researches have also developed non-toxic binders. Oregon State University researchers have produced a non-toxic adhesive for pressure-sensitive tapes and plan to develop others based on tofu. One researcher at the University of Kansas has even worked on soy based adhesives.
[Source: Cleantechnica]
