Imagine wood so strong it rivals steel, yet far lighter, renewable, and producing 90 percent less carbon emissions. That’s exactly what SuperWood, developed by InventWood, a startup spun out from the University of Maryland, offers.
With a strength-to-weight ratio 10 times higher than steel and 50% greater tensile strength, this engineered wood promises to revolutionize construction, transportation, aerospace, and more. It is fireproof and isn’t affected by pests and moisture.
However, there’s one big challenge that can prevent SuperWood from becoming a mainstream material — and that’s cost. Steel is priced between $1 to $2 per pound, while SuperWood currently stands at over $12.5 and can go up to $25 per pound.
How InventWood will close this price gap remains to be seen.
So, if you read the article… They boil the wood in a chemical solution that removes everything but the fibrous cell walls, fill it with chemicals (think epoxy) and then compress the “wood” four times. It may have started as “wood” but that is not the end product. So, calling it “SuperWood” seems like a bit of a gimmick, like “green energy.” It does not seem like they could shorten the process by much, so it is going to be difficult to lower the price much either.
Seems like there would be a market for high end or specialty applications. Some people have money to burn. Would put a whole new spin on the old “Woody” cars.
