Straw Building Products are Really Strong!

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Joyce Benson   2 Comments |
Tag(s): Green Building, Green Furnishings, Reclaimed Materials

Straw, a waste by-product of, most notably, the wheat industry has been gaining in popularity for use in the green building industry, and for good reason.   It’s long been an environmental issue to dispose of straw, the remaining by-product of wheat grain after it is harvested.  Typically, it has been burned which causes serious air pollution problems.

Here’s where eco-friendly strawboard panels come in. They can replace gypsum drywall which consumes much more energy to produce.  The studs aren’t even needed in some interior partition walls with these highly compressed straw panels!   Other applications include:  interior and exterior walls, load and non-bearing ceilings, roofing, doors, and flooring.  Also, since wheat is grown in the U.S. and around the world every year for food, it is a rapidly renewable resource.

Key features of strawboard panels include: affordability and reduction of sound transmission.  Plus, they’re also fire-, termite-, mold-, and impact-resistant.  Strawboard is similar to wood and can be sawn, drilled, routed, nailed, screwed, and glued.

Two companies manufacture strawboard panels here in the U.S.:

• Enviro Board Corp. of Sacramento, CA.
• Durra Building Systems, based in Whitewright, Texas.
• A similar product called  BIOFIBER™ wheat panels, made by Environ BioComposite, can be used for interior applications such as table surfaces, cabinetry, furniture, and decorative & architectural applications.

Source:  Toolbase.org

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