Wood Foam May Be the Answer to Eco-Friendly Insulation

Reader Contribution by James White
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A home must be insulated for several reasons. But speaking for efficiency, insulation helps reduce energy consumption. Even green homes must be insulated in some way, but most insulating foams are composed of petroleum – a material that’s not at all eco-friendly. This creates a contradiction of sorts because it shows that even a green home can still be detrimental to the environment.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research in Germany have developed a new type of insulating foam that is much greener. The foam is actually made from wood, meaning it’s much more eco-friendly in many ways, including how it’s disposed of.

How Wood Foam is Made

In order to create the foam, wood is ground into tiny particles that are so small they actually form a viscous-like base. A special type of gas is pumped into the solution, which gives it a frothy consistency. Then, the solution is allowed to harden, which researchers claim is sped up and “aided by natural substances contained in the wood.”

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