Progress 09/01/17 to 08/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:Full-scale deflection, compression and shear testing of BiomieTM members was not conducted as intended in the research work plan (Objective 4) due to a number of factors. The research did not get to the point of producing full-scale, 8-foot specimens of the final panel solution, given the slow process of discovering a core insulation material with good thermal and structural characteristics, challenges with scaling up the block making process within the limited remaining time, and the need to be sparing with available raw materials. The chosen plant material was only discovered to be a good insulator very late in the research project and there was insufficient remaining time to harvest enough material for these tests. In addition, although test equipment was developed for full scale bending and compression testing, a shear test apparatus was not developed due to time and space constraints. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project worked to develop the BiomieTM construction system using farm-sourced materials and waste streams. In the long term, the distributed manufacturing process of the new construction system has the potential to create rural entrepreneurship opportunities, cost-effectively improve housing stock and support rural electric utility viability. Over the course of the Phase II research project, work was performed under the objectives described above. Objective 1. In the process of securing materials for physical testing, ORB conversed and coordinated with farmers and other suppliers of raw materials, including an ag tech company, a reclaimed strip mine manager, a reclaimed mine land non-profit, shipping and storage companies, and many university researchers. These stakeholders provided important perspectives with regard to the costs of producing, moving and storing agricultural materials. The team also conversed with zoning officials with regard to properties of the proposed construction system, including requirements for setbacks from lot lines, fire resistance, and permitted floor areas relative to wall thickness for accessory dwelling units and tiny homes. In addition, ORB kept in contact with potential customers for small homes, a cooperative housing group, and a worker cooperative loan fund. The team also talked with local non-profits and agents working on land access for beginning and small farmers. This input was used to guide the research teams' thinking in the remaining tasks with the goal of developing a biocomposite panel that is supportive of a home delivery model that works for all parties involved. Objective 2. A number of different panel types were tested in bending over the course of the research, at first using sandbag weights and later an in-house apparatus that could incrementally inrease the load and simultaneous log deflection. Over the research term, a number of potential panel core materials were developed and abandoned for one reason or another, including lower than expected thermal resistance, too high a water or energy demand to produce, risk of contamination, poor wet strength, need for the addition of fire retardant chemicals, and too complex of a process. The final biocomposite developed hit the mark for these concerns as well as having sufficient stiffness to limit deflection due to wind loading to within building code requirements for walls up to 13'-4" in height. Objective 3. This objective included testing of many properties of panel core and finish materials including density, compression strength and stiffness, thermal resistance, fire resistance, water absorption, workability with conventional construction tools, water vapor transmission rate, fungi resistance, air permeance, appearance, and binder requirement. The weight per unit R-value was noted to inform material and shipping cost estimates and moisture absorption characteristics informed panel design to handle rain exposure during construction. Great strides were made in improving the compressive strength and stiffness of the core material. Objective 4. Design, fabrication and calibration work was completed for a compression apparatus capable of testing up to 4-foot-tall samples and a bending apparatus capable of testing a 28' long sample. Steel and hydraulic components for an apparatus capable of testing an 8' tall wall segment were also fabricated, though full scale panels of the final biocomposite solution were not prototyped due to limited supply of the raw material, challenges encountered in the process scale up and time constraints. The designs of a rainscreen wall assembly and floor bearing condition were developed based on test data. Objective 5. A number of panel-forming processes were fabricated and reviewed for their relative merits for manufacture scaleup including potential impact on operating costs (water demand, energy demand, labor) and capital costs (space-demand, equipment cost, level of precision required). The process for the final biocomposite solution was scaled up to one-quarter-size. While the process significantly reduces water demand and forming time, the scale-up revealed a number of issues that will need to be addressed in future research. Objective 6. This objective included analysis of the wall system's embodied energy, carbon storage potential, cost, and potential impact on rural communities. The cost of the derived biocomposite, when incorporated into a wall assembly with drainage plane and airtight layer, is estimated to be on par with existing super-insulated wall assemblies with a thermal resistance of about R-40. In three different scenarios, the energy savings of a Passive House built with the biobased building panels were estimated to pay for between 30 and 89% of a home mortgage plus property tax. The low capital cost manufacturing process could enable more people to participate in production and ownership of their jobs (worker-owned co-ops), and put them in a better position to adapt to local needs. BiomieTM could enable builders, or a new breed of farmer-builders, or farmer-builder partnerships, to in-house the production of their materials, and reduce their costs by nearly 50%, putting them in a better position to avoid high interest business loans, and to weather the cycles of construction downturns. Unique partnerships with housing non-profits could engage volunteers into the manufacturing process as well, with potential for significant savings (up to 29% of panel cost). In locales with a significant level of interest, specialized on-farm panel-making equipment could be rented out by the county extension office, as is often done with seed drills and other conservation equipment, thus increasing the utilization rate of the equipment and further reducing costs. Several significant findings were made during the Phase II research: A novel structural-insulating biocomposite was developed that outperforms existing solutions by maintaining good thermal resistance while achieving a 165% increase in compression strength and a 4300% increase in stiffness using only 1/3 the amount of material and ¼ the amount of binder. The material showed relatively low water absorption and good fire resistance without the addition of chemicals. The biocomposite was incorporated into a design for a building panel that is lightweight and that simplifies the installation of a water resistive barrier, rainscreen, and airtight layer. The most unique feature of BiomieTM panel is not just that it is a carbon storing material, but that it is a cost-competitive, rapidly renewable, carbon-storing, structural building material. Since BiomieTM is comparable in cost to conventional high-performance construction, the cost of carbon storage is $0 per ton. Alternatively, if the biocomposite panels were to be positioned as an investable carbon asset, the revenue could be used to reach wider markets including lower-income people, and in turn, reducing carbon emissions through broad-scale implementation of deep energy efficiency. The novel biocomposite can enable buildings to serve a significant role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in long-lived building envelopes with a global technical potential to store between 0.99 and 3.18 gigatonne of CO2eq annually in the walls, floors and roofs built. The biomaterial can be produced in a low energy process with short production time of less than 24 hours. A low capital cost manufacturing process may be feasible given the simplicity of the material. Beyond ultra-low energy new home construction, potential commercial applications of the biomaterial include mid-rise curtainwalls, commercial structural uses, fire resistant construction, exterior insulating and finish systems for existing building retrofits, as well as use in furniture, casework, door cores, acoustical panels, highway noise barriers, and low-energy humidity management in buildings.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project is relevant to USDA's strategic goal to, "Assist rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining, repopulating, and economically thriving."(USDA, 2014) This project is working to develop the BiomieTM construction system using farm-sourced materials and waste streams. If successful, the distributed manufacturing process of the new construction system has the potential to create rural entrepreneurship opportunities, cost-effectively improve housing stock and support rural electric utility viability. In this grant period, work was performed under Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 described above. Objective 1. Gather stakeholder input to inform a vertically-integrated home delivery model. In the process of securing materials for physical testing, ORB conversed and coordinated with farmers and other suppliers of raw materials, including an ag tech company, a reclaimed strip mine manager, a reclaimed mine land non-profit, shipping and storage companies, and multiple research universities, helping to provide the research a better understand of their preferences and perspectives, particularly with regard to the costs of producing and moving agricultural materials. The team also conversed with zoning officials with regard to properties of the proposed construction system, including requirements for set backs from lot lines, fire resistance, and permitted floor areas relative to wall thickness for accessory dwelling units and tiny homes. In addition, ORB kept in contact with potential customers for small homes, a cooperative housing group, and a worker cooperative loan fund. The team also talked with local non-profits and agents working on land access for beginning and small farmers. In the project year, ORB was in contact with a wide range of people so as to best develop a vertically-integrated home delivery model that works for all involved parties. Objective 2. Prototype and test Biomie composite panels in bending. In this period, an upgraded load cell, data logger and bending test fixture were set up to enable more fine-grained testing of deflection in bending and to enable determination of stress-strain curves. One composite beam was tested over a 4-foot span. In addition, a full-scale 8-foot panel was produced to explore issues of scale realtive to particle size. Stiffness remains to be an important ongoing consideration for spanning members. Objective 3. Test materials and connections. In this period, the insulative value, or R-value, of three additional samples was measured over a 50-degree Fahrenheit range between hot and cold plates. The weight per unit R-value and the compressed volume per unit R-value were noted to inform material and shipping cost estimates. Moisture absorption characteristics were measured for three different core materials. This data is relevant to long-term durability and the risk of rain exposure during construction. Great strides were made this year in improving the compressive strength of the construction system. Compressive strength and stiffness, including determining the elastic range and yield strength, were measured for six different composite mixtures. Construction details for connections between building components including foundation-to-floor, foundation-to-wall, wall-to-roof, wall-to-elevated-floor were drawn. 4. Test building assemblies in compression, bending & shear. Design work was begun on a test apparatus for full-scale building components in compression, bending and shear, as well as the specific test fixture adaptations needed to accommodate the proposed construction system. 6. Project the economics of the Biomie system and potential impact on rural communities. Cost estimates of the core materials have focused on cost per unit volume of the wall assembly, including raw materials, generalized labor cost estimates, and shipping costs. These estimates were continually updated over the research year. The potential value of storing carbon dioxide in the building materials was also explored as a possible income stream to support both affordable housing and sustainable farming practices.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project is working to develop the BiomieTM construction system using farm-sourced materials and waste streams. If successful, its distributed manufacturing process has the potential to cost-effectively improve housing stock, create rural entrepreneurship opportunities, and support rural electric utility viability. In this grant period, progress was made toward Objectives 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 listed above. Objective 1. Gather stakeholder input to inform a vertically-integrated home delivery model. In this project year, the team had exploratory conversations with 6 potential buyers of a Biomie home, a potential supplier of waste materials, a worker cooperative loan fund, a community land trust, a nascent real estate investment group, and a land use policy non-profit that is exploring drivers in affordable housing development. It is recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic is having an influence on customer needs and preferences with likely impact on the final product specification. Objective 2. Prototype and test BiomieTM composite panels in bending. The deflection of eight (8) addition composite panels was measured over a 4-foot span for wind, snow and live loading. Objective 3. Test materials and connections. Building on the previous discovery that the hemp-based panel core developed in Phase I had an unexpectedly low insulating value, properties of additional core material alternatives were investigated. The R-value was measured for more than thirty (30) insulation samples of natural and recycled materials over a 50-degree Fahrenheit range between hot and cold plates. The weight per unit R-value and the compressed volume per unit R-value were noted to inform material and shipping cost estimates. The spanning capability of more than thirty (30) wall finish samples was measured using a 2-point load test apparatus to determine ultimate load and failure mode for each. These results are being used to inform the spacing of structural support members. The performance of a range of fire treatment applications were tested. In addition, qualitative observations continued to be made on the ability of insulation samples to be assembled/disassembled with conventional construction tools. As a result, a new simple method for attaching roofing was conceived as a way to enable a do-it-yourselfer to install the home's roof. Objective 5. Prototype equipment to produce building panels. Two additional concepts for the panel forming process were developed in this period based on preferred panel core materials with a focus on minimizing labor cost and embodied energy which, in this case, is primarily driven by drying energy. Objective 6. Project the economics of the BiomieTM system and potential impact on rural communities. Estimates of shipping impacts for a range of insulation materials were made including shipping volume, weight, cost, and carbon footprint as well as cost estimates of insulation equipment for builders. Additionally, the scale of material supply chain options was summarized including amount, distribution and cost of raw materials, as well as the relative embodied carbon of these materials. It was found that a couple bio-based insulations have the potential to enable a BiomieTM home to store more than 20 tons of carbon dioxide in building materials.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:The R-value of the hemp-based panel core material developed in Phase I was tested and measured to be significantly lower than anticipated. This has required a significant focus of effort on investigating alternative core materials in Objective 3 and has delayed structural testing. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project is relevant to USDA's strategic goal to, "Assist rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining, repopulating, and economically thriving."(USDA, 2014) This project is working to develop the BiomieTM construction system using farm-sourced materials and waste streams. If successful, the distributed manufacturing process of the new construction system has the potential to create rural entrepreneurship opportunities, cost-effectively improve housing stock and support rural electric utility viability. In this grant period, progress was made toward Objectives 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 listed above. Objective 1. Gather stakeholder input to inform a vertically-integrated home delivery model. Toward this objective, a number of contacts for non-agricultural and waste stream material sources were identified for future stakeholder input gathering. Objective 2. Prototype and test Biomie composite panels in bending. In this period, five additional 5-foot beams were tested under distributed load in order to determine deflection under various loading conditions for walls (under wind load), roofs (wind, snow, and live loads), floor and interior walls. The core of these beams was made of an alternative waste material from those explored in Phase I. One of the tested beams was of sufficient stiffness to serve in all of the building envelope functions listed, however wet strength and stiffness remain an important consideration for ongoing development. Objective 3. Test materials and connections. Due to concerns about insufficient insulative value (R-value) and high manufacturing drying energy, materials properties for a number of panel core materials were investigated. A third-party lab measured the R-value of our original hemp-based core and other samples made with agricultural residues. The R-values of these samples was found to be too low to be competitive with existing insulations. Subsequently, two designs for a low-cost heat flux apparatus were developed and built, one of which was found to be sufficiently accurate for in-house comparative measurements using standard reference insulation samples. This heat flux meter sped up the process of testing. Eleven different natural and waste materials were made into samples using a range of particle sizes and configurations. Samples were tested for R-value, fire resistance (with and without treatment), drying energy requirement and density. In addition, qualitative observations were made of their ability to resist moisture, withstand a drop test, and be workable with conventional construction tools. Objective 5. Prototype equipment to produce building panels. In order to make the panel core samples using a range of material types as described above, seven different methods of sample production were developed. Although not yet at full-scale, working with these highly varied production methods gave insight into the advantages and challenges of each method including forming and drying. In addition, the three full-scale panel cores produced to date have also pointed to additional challenges of scaling including weight/manuverability, shrinkage, bulging, curing time/formwork cost/space cost, and material storage cost. Objective 6. Project the economics of the Biomie system and potential impact on rural communities. Cost estimates of the core materials have focused on cost per unit volume including raw material cost, drying energy cost, and generalized labor cost estimates.
Publications
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