Close
Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Researchers recycling grapevine waste into particle board for sustainable buildings

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from any location or device.

Media Packs

Expand Your Reach With Our Customized Solutions Empowering Your Campaigns To Maximize Your Reach & Drive Real Results!

– Access the Media Pack Now

– Book a Conference Call

– Leave Message for Us to Get Back

Related stories

Smart Windows: A Step Towards Sustainable Living

A new innovation in smart windows promises to revolutionize...

Composite Door and Window Market to Hit $1.7B by 2034

The Composite Door and Window Industry is witnessing remarkable...

Aluminum Door and Window Market to Reach $82.1 Billion

Aluminum Door and Window Market growing at a CAGR...

Window Coverings Market to Exceed $36 Billion by 2030

The growing global window coverings market is projected to...

The houses of the future could be built with a sustainable building material made from grapevine waste, if Victorian scientists have their way.

Key points:

Researchers at the University of Melbourne are taking grapevine waste and turning them into particle board, which is a staple of the construction industry.

University of Melbourne’s head of Chemical Engineering Amanda Ellis said grapevine cuttings obtained from pruning the plant were a major source of agriculture crop waste.

Grapevine replacing woodchip

Professor Ellis said the grapevine waste could be used to replace the pine chip in particle board, which would help minimise import and transportation costs.

“If you cut the prunings, you can dump them at the end of the road. Pick them up and they go off and get woodchipped and then they’re dried to about 20 per cent moisture,” she said.

According to a University of Melbourne report, particle board is one of the most highly produced construction materials.

Professor Ellis said in 2018 about 97 million cubic metres of woodchip was produced globally.

“We import a lot of the woodchip from China, and that has not only environmental impacts with shipping but transportation,” she said.

Less stress on building tools

Professor Ellis said the construction industry also stood to benefit because of the mineral makeup of the grapevine chip.

“This is important compared to other bio waste materials like straw or oat hulls because having the lower silica means there’s less grit in the board.

“So when builders are machining the board you don’t get as much wear and tear on the tools that you’re using.”

Latest stories