What is liquid wood?
Liquid wood is a strong, thermoplastic material made of a mixture of lignin and natural fibers called Arborm®. It is often considered an ecological alternative to oil -based plastic because it is non -toxic, biodegradable and does not use nor does it depend on non -renewable oil sources. Before the invention of liquid wood, bioplastics were not suitable for using households due to the high sulfur content, but the low sulfur content in Arboform® is safe for use in toys. Once the composite of the lignin and the fibers is completed, the mixture may be heated or under high pressure for processing and forming into parts. Lignin is a chemical compound produced as a by -product of pulp and paper industry and is abundant from wood. It is second only for cellulose as the most common natural polymer and this polymer molecular eject is very strong and suitable as a plastic alternative.
team NorBerta Eisenreich in Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology in Germany began to explore alternatives to plastics in the mid -90s and eventually came with liquid wood. Plastic is a strong, formable and capable mass production, but also has several shortcomings that caused concerns for consumers and researchers. The dependence of the plastic on raw oil exhausts the non -renewable source, causes pollution in its production and causes prices to increase. The softeners of the asking and heavy metals found in the plastics also raised health objections to the use of plastic. Liquid wood is derived from an abundant source, can be formed and produced in bulk, will biodegrade and non -toxic.
Fraunhofer Institute, however, faced a problem that the material was waterproof and low sulfur content, which was evolved by replacing the separation of sulfur using high -pressure hydrolysis. In order to use lignin, it must first be separated from other fibers in the wood, traditionally with sulfur. The hydrolysis process only uses high pressure, water and inYSOKY temperature for the production of water -insoluble lignin. This will reduce the sulfur content by ninety percent and at the same time it brings a product that will not decrease with water or saliva exposure.
After Eisenreich came up with Arboform®, Tecnaro, other German society, it improved it to form and produce. Tecnaro has created plastic pellets that can be forced to create more complicated shapes under high pressure. Liquid wood is used to make watches, parts of cars, pens, speakers and birth boxes, among other things. Completed, it may look like an ordinary plastic found in most domestic products or as polished wood. Liquid wood can be successfully recycled without changing the chemical composition of the material or destroyed in the same way as wood.