This project aims to develop a method for making wood fibre insulation boards (WFIB) using a keratin-based adhesive system. WFIB are a wood composite product that typically use petrochemical-base adhesives. While WFIB, as a wood-based composite, do have low embodied energy and carbon compared to other building insulation products such as mineral wool or foam plastics, substituting a bio-based adhesive could further reduce the embodied energy and carbon (Kumar et al., 2020). It could also improve the recyclability and end-of-life options for the material including composting rather than only being suitable for thermal recycling (Institut Bauen und Umwelt, 2020). Employing a keratin-based adhesive would also allow for the valorisation of agricultural residues such as wool or poultry feathers which are typically disposed as a low-value waste (Giteru et al., 2023). While keratin-based adhesives have been applied for wood composites including WFIB production with some success, the common method of alkaline hydrolysis for adhesive production involves the complete dissolution of keratin which requires substantial processing and energy input and can have poor water resistance (Brenner & Weichold, 2020; Fagbemi & Sithole, 2021; Raydan, 2024; Shavandi & Ali, 2018). One promising method that has yet to be applied to WFIB production is the partial keratin hydrolysis process developed by Savio et al., (2018), which uses minimal processing of the keratin source (in this case wool) and allows the wool to contribute to the insulating properties of the insulation boards. The preparation of the WFI board in this study will follow a modified version of the hemp-wool insulation process described in Savio et al., (2018) and later adapted for other agricultural residues in Savio et al., (2022). The initial study will use wool as a keratin feedstock to establish the optimal process for WFIB production.
Keywords: Wood fibre insulation, bio-based adhesives, keratin hydrolysis
Authors
Kaia Nielsen-Roine
University of British Columbia, Canada
AnnaLisa Meyboom
University of British Columbia, Canada
Chunping Dai
University of British Columbia, Canada
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