CU-Boulder Researchers Turning Waste Into Building Materials

BOULDER, Colo. — A team of architecture researchers at the University of Colorado are developing insulated building panels using waste coming out of the state.

Professor Julee Herdt of CU's College of Architecture and Planning is working with a team to turn cellulose products like paper, cardboard and wood waste into molded, exterior and interior building panels.

The team is using computer modeling software to refine BioSIPs, a panel system made of cellulose products and soy foam that Herdt previously developed. The software is designed to help the team determine the best mix of cellulose products to combine to achieve the desired strength and thickness in the panels.

"The beauty of the molded fiber technology is that we can use all sorts of waste paper, much of which has low market value, to create a high performance building product," Herdt said in a statement. "Low-grade waste like the cardboard used to package items like cereal and soft drinks, for example, can be combined with higher-grade fibers like cardboard boxes to create the BioSIPs building panel."

The finished panels will be used to construct a 10-foot by 10-foot by 10-foot building on university grounds. The panels are designed to snap together and form 4-6-inch thick 4-foot by 10-foot cores, which will be surrounded by a soy-based insulating foam. The structure, once complete, will be powered by solar energy and monitored for energy efficiency.

The effort is funded by a two-year, $245,000 State of Colorado Advanced Technology Fund Research Grant.