Recipient Organization
ORB TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
523 W THIRD ST
LEXINGTON,KY 40508
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Buildingoperations and materialsaccount for more than one-third of global climate emissions. However, the building industryhas the potential to betransformed from a significantemitter into a carbon sink through the use of highly-insulating, plant-based building materials. We estimate thataboveground building materialshave the potential to avoidand store as much as 144 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide between now and 2050. This estimate excludes the additional climate benefit that would result fromenergy savings of the proposed biogenicstructural insulation in near-zero energy buildings. The potential of the proposed technlogyis significant given that global climate emissions currently total ~40 gigatonnes CO2e per year.Moreover, crop residues from global small and coarse grain crops annually produce more than four times the biomass needed to provide materials for all aboveground portions of building construction worldwide, even withglobal building stock expected to double infloor areaby 2060.This Phase I project will research a novel bonding method to manufacture a plant-based, structural insulation capable of supporting two- to five-story buildings. The research aims to demonstrate dramatic improvements incompression strength and cost relative to existing biogenic building materials.The anticipated result is a biobased, structural insulating composite material that is fire-resistant and carbon-storing. It will simplify construction of ultra-low energy buildings by integrating multiple functions (structure, sheathing, insulation, and backing for air- and water-control layers) into hand-liftable components. Resulting super-insulated wall assemblies are anticipated to be cost competitive with conventional construction at scale. If successful, the biocomposite will dramatically improve the energy efficiency of buildings, create new income streams for farmers that can support their transitionto climate-smart agronomic practices formillions of U.S. acres dedicated to commodity crops, and create entrepreneurship opportunities in agriculturally-related manufacturing through low microfactory startup costs.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
Goal: The project aims to develop a bonding method for lignocellulosic materialsthat is cost-effective, structurally durable, environmentally sound from cradle to cradle, and conducive to a low-capital manufacturing process.Objectives: The research effort will:1) test the newbiocomposite bonding method andcorrelate compression strength with specimen slenderness to reach target strength;3) test a range of environmentally benign binders conducive to a circular material and a distributed manufcaturing process;4) prototype a full-scale block;5) measure key material properties including thermal resistance, fungi resistance, and non-combustibility; and model hygrothermal performance.
Project Methods
Several ASTM test methods and other analytical methods will be utilitized in the Phase I research, including:-ASTM D143 Standard Test Methods for Small Clear Specimens of Timber.Compression stress versus strain will be plotted and modulus of elasticity, toe region, yield strength, ultimate strength, and COV noted for each.- building load analysis per ASCE-7Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures.- techno-economic analysis focussed on binder and its impact on process parameters-ASTM C518 -Standard Test Method for Steady-State Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of the Heat Flow Meter Apparatus-ASTM C1338 -Standard Test Method for Determining Fungi Resistance of InsulationMaterials and Facings- ASTM fire test- hygrothermal modeling using WUFI software