Making wood as strong as steel!

Summary

InventWood, a Maryland-based company, has developed a revolutionary material called MettleWood, which transforms wood into a dense, strong, and eco-friendly alternative to steel and aluminum. By removing air and compressing the wood, they enhance the natural lignin to create a product stronger than steel. MettleWood is made from 100% wood, has a lower CO2 footprint, and is cost-effective. The company is currently building a pilot plant to produce and demonstrate the mass production of this innovative material, which has potential applications in construction, automotive, and aerospace industries.

Takeaways

• 🌳 The material MettleWood is created by densifying wood fibers to 1/5 of their original volume, making it stronger than steel.
• 🔥 The process involves removing air from the wood and softening the lignin, a natural glue within the wood, which then repolymerizes to bind the fibers tightly.
• 📏 The initial thickness of the wood boards used in the demonstration was one inch, highlighting the significant reduction in volume.
• 🏗️ MettleWood aims to replace steel and aluminum in construction, offering a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative.
• 🌿 The material is made from 100% wood, specifically poplar in the example, but can be produced from any wood species.
• 🔨 MettleWood has a tensile strength of 550 megapascals in the grain direction, comparable to steel.
• 🏡 The company is developing applications for MettleWood in various industries, including construction, automotive, and aerospace.
• 🔄 The technology also allows for the creation of engineered composites and shapes, such as honeycomb structures for high compressive strength.
• 🔄 The company, InventWood, is a spinoff from the University of Maryland and is currently building a pilot plant in Frederick, Maryland.
• 💰 Funding for InventWood comes from a grant by ARPA-E, the Department of Energy, and private investors, supporting the development of sustainable materials.
• 🌐 The script also addresses the importance of engaging with political discussions as they impact engineering and technology sectors.

Q & A

What is MettleWood and how is it different from regular wood?

MettleWood is a new material that involves taking the fiber from regular wood and densifying it to 1/5 of its original volume. The process involves removing air from the wood and softening lignin, a natural glue within the wood, which allows for compression. The lignin then repolymerizes, making the wood stronger than steel and resulting in a darker color due to the concentration of lignin.

How is MettleWood made stronger than steel?

MettleWood is made stronger than steel by a process that involves heating the wood and saturating it with a liquid that softens the lignin. This softened lignin allows the wood fibers to be compressed under intense pressure. When densified, the fibers form exponentially more bonds, which is what gives MettleWood its strength.

What is the significance of the lignin in the creation of MettleWood?

Lignin is a natural substance within wood that acts like a glue, holding cellulose fibers together. In the process of creating MettleWood, the lignin is softened, allowing the wood fibers to be compressed. After compression, the lignin repolymerizes and resolidifies, forming a stronger bond that contributes to the material's strength.

Can MettleWood be made from any type of wood?

Yes, MettleWood can be made from any species of wood. In the script, it is mentioned that the material can be made from poplar, but it is also stated that any species can be used in the process.

What are the environmental benefits of using MettleWood?

MettleWood has a net negative CO2 footprint, meaning it helps in carbon capture. It is made from 100% wood, which is a renewable resource, and its production does not rely on mining like steel or aluminum. This makes it an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional construction materials.

How does MettleWood compare to steel in terms of cost and weight?

MettleWood is stated to be half the cost to produce compared to steel or aluminum. Additionally, due to its lightweight nature, it offers a significant advantage in terms of weight, which can be beneficial in various applications such as construction and automotive components.

What is the tensile strength of MettleWood in the grain direction?

MettleWood has a tensile strength of 550 megapascals in the grain direction, which is a measure of its ability to withstand breaking or tearing when subjected to tensile stress.

What are some potential applications of MettleWood?

MettleWood has a wide range of potential applications. It can be used to replace steel beams and columns in construction, as well as in the creation of engineered wall panels, doors, door cores, and even in the automotive industry for components like roof structures for Tesla cars.

What is the current stage of MettleWood's production?

MettleWood is currently in the pilot plant stage. A facility is being built in Frederick, Maryland, with the goal of producing a million square feet of MettleWood per year. The initial focus will be on producing siding, which is fireproof and bulletproof.

How does MettleWood address the issue of mass timber in construction?

Mass timber is used to build tall buildings with wood, but it has the issue of volume. MettleWood addresses this by reducing the volume of the mass timber while maintaining its strength, allowing for the construction of tall buildings with the same ease as with steel, at half the cost.

What is the fire resistance of MettleWood and how is it classified?

MettleWood is classified as ESTM 8E-84 fireproof, which means it is non-combustible. It chars and self-extinguishes, making it a safe material for construction.

What is the source of funding for InventWood, the company behind MettleWood?

InventWood received a grant from ARPA-E, the Department of Energy, due to the carbon capture nature of MettleWood. They are also now working with private investors to become self-sustaining.

Outlines

00:00

🪵 Revolutionary Wood Densification Process

The script introduces MettleWood, a new material made by densifying wood to a fifth of its original volume. The process involves removing air and concentrating lignin, a natural adhesive in wood, which strengthens the cellulose fibers. The result is a material stronger than steel, with the added benefit of being 100% wood-based. The interviewee explains that the material can be produced from any wood species, such as poplar, and has a high tensile strength of 550 megapascals. The script also discusses the potential applications of MettleWood, including replacing steel beams and columns in construction, as well as creating honeycomb structures for use in airplanes and walls. The environmental benefits are highlighted, with the material having a net negative CO2 footprint and being fireproof and bulletproof.

05:02

🛠️ Expanding Applications and Future of MettleWood

This paragraph delves into the broader applications and future plans for MettleWood. The material's versatility is emphasized, with the potential to create engineered composites for structures like emergency shelters and automotive components. The company, InventWood, is highlighted as a spinoff from the University of Maryland, currently working on a pilot plant in Frederick, Maryland, to produce a million square feet of MettleWood siding annually. The funding from ARPA-E and private investors is mentioned, with the goal of making the company self-sustaining. The interviewee also addresses viewer feedback from a previous video, discussing the importance of engaging with political discussions that impact engineering and technology, and clarifies the channel's focus on technology and entertainment while acknowledging the occasional inclusion of political context.

Keywords

💡MettleWood

MettleWood is a novel material introduced in the video, which is a densified form of wood. The process involves removing air and concentrating the natural components of wood, specifically the lignin, which acts as a natural glue holding cellulose fibers together. The result is a material that is stronger than steel and has a darker appearance due to the concentration of lignin. This material exemplifies the theme of innovation in material science and its potential to revolutionize construction and manufacturing industries.

💡Densification

Densification refers to the process of reducing the volume of a substance by removing air or other voids from its structure. In the context of the video, MettleWood undergoes densification where the wood's volume is reduced to 1/5 of its original size by taking out air and concentrating the lignin. This process is crucial as it enhances the wood's strength and leads to the creation of a material with properties superior to steel.

💡Lignin

Lignin is a complex organic polymer that in nature serves as a 'glue' binding cellulose fibers together in the cell walls of plants, particularly in wood and bark. In the video, the lignin within the wood is softened through a process involving heat and liquid saturation, allowing the wood fibers to be compressed. Once compressed, the lignin repolymerizes, creating a stronger bond and contributing to the material's enhanced strength.

💡Cellulose fiber

Cellulose fibers are natural, strong, and flexible components found in the cell walls of plants. They are responsible for much of the strength of the plant material. In the script, the cellulose fibers within the wood are described as being 'like straws' that transport water in the tree. The densification process affects these fibers, leading to a stronger material.

💡High pressure press

A high pressure press is a mechanical device used to apply intense pressure to an object. In the video, the densified wood is created by placing the softened wood into a high pressure press. This step is essential for the re-solidification of lignin and the formation of stronger bonds between the fibers, which ultimately gives MettleWood its superior strength.

💡Tensile strength

Tensile strength is a measure of the maximum amount of stress a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking. The video mentions that MettleWood has a tensile strength of 550 megapascals in the grain direction, indicating that it is extremely strong and capable of replacing steel in various applications.

💡Mass timber

Mass timber refers to large panels of wood used in construction, allowing for the building of taller and more complex structures than traditional wood framing. In the video, it is mentioned as a revolution in construction, but the speaker also points out the problem of volume. MettleWood addresses this issue by reducing the volume while maintaining strength, making it a potential solution for sustainable construction.

💡CO2 footprint

CO2 footprint, or carbon footprint, is a measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions caused by an activity or organization. The video highlights that MettleWood has a 'net negative' CO2 footprint, meaning it helps in capturing more carbon dioxide than it emits during its production, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional materials.

💡Honeycomb structure

The honeycomb structure mentioned in the video refers to a construction of thin, densified veneers arranged in a hexagonal pattern, similar to the structure of a beehive. This design provides high compressive strength with minimal material, making it ideal for applications requiring strength and lightness, such as in airplane construction or wall panels.

💡Fireproof

Fireproof materials are designed to resist or be non-combustible in the event of a fire. The video describes MettleWood as 'ESTM 8E-84 fireproof,' meaning it chars on the surface but does not burn or support combustion. This property is crucial for materials used in construction, ensuring safety and compliance with building codes.

💡Siding

Siding refers to the exterior material applied to the walls of a house or other building for protection and aesthetics. In the video, MettleWood is being developed into siding, which is an example of how the densified wood can be used in traditional construction applications while offering enhanced properties like being non-combustible and bulletproof.

Highlights

Introduction of a new material called MettleWood, a densified wood product.

MettleWood is created by removing air from wood and utilizing lignin, a natural glue within the wood.

The process involves collapsing cellulose fibers and softening lignin to create a stronger material.

MettleWood is stronger than steel due to the increased bonding between fibers after densification.

The material's dark coloration is a result of concentrated lignin.

MettleWood is produced using heat, liquid saturation, and high-pressure pressing.

The material can be made from low-cost, FSC or SFI certified wood such as poplar.

MettleWood has a tensile strength of 550 megapascals in the grain direction.

The material aims to replace steel beams and columns in construction.

MettleWood addresses the volume issue in mass timber construction for tall buildings.

The material is lightweight and can be used to create thin veneers and honeycomb structures.

MettleWood can be used in applications requiring compressive strength, such as in airplanes and walls.

The company is developing engineered wall panels and exploring acoustic applications in concert halls.

MettleWood can be used in place of aluminum honeycomb with a negative CO2 footprint and at half the cost.

InventWood is building a pilot plant in Frederick, Maryland, to produce a million square feet of MettleWood annually.

The company plans to start production with siding and has developed fireproof and bulletproof properties.

MettleWood maintains the wood grain even after densification, offering an aesthetic similar to higher-quality woods.

InventWood is a spinoff from the University of Maryland and has received funding from ARPA-E and private investors.

The company's technology is seen as a step towards a future of wooden buildings and carbon capture.

Transcripts

- So this is a new material called MettleWood.

This is a before and after,

what we're doing is taking all of the fiber

that's in the wood and we're densifying it

to 1/5 its original volume.

- So this started this thick?

- Yes. - Tell me more.

- What happens is we're taking all the air out of the wood,

essentially, right?

And inside wood, there's substance called lignin.

Lignin is a natural glue

that holds cellulose fiber together.

Think about a bunch of straws, if you were holding them,

the straws transport water in the tree,

we're collapsing all those straws.

The lignin, we're softening it, allowing us to compress it,

and then it repolymerizes it, resolidifies

into the glue and it becomes stronger than steel.

The difference in the darkness here is,

lignin is actually a naturally dark substance,

so when you concentrate it,

the concentration comes out and it stains the wood.

This is 100% wood.

- That's wild.

- And it's stronger than steel.

- So how do you do this?

- With heat, and we saturate it with liquid

and that liquid allows the lignin to soften.

We then put it into a high pressure press

and we put it under intense pressure.

It's kinda like anytime you take carbon and densify it,

it becomes stronger like carbon to diamonds, right?

So all we've done is taken carbon, densified it.

When you densify it,

it forms exponentially more bonds between the fibers.

That's what gives it its strength.

So the example we have right here is a laminated beam, okay?

So feel this.

- Oh my God.

- Here, let me get this,

I need two hands for this.

This is almost as heavy as a piece of steel.

- What we're looking at is taking individual boards

that have been densified and laminating them together

into a structural beam.

So our goal is to go after steel and aluminum

with 100% wood material-

- In a way that doesn't rely on any mining?

- Exactly. - Love it.

- We can make this from low cost, FSC or SFI certified wood.

This is made out of poplar,

we can actually make it out of any species.

- I noticed there are like regular marks here,

what's that from?

- Yeah, so this is made on our lab press.

Our lab press has a vented platen,

so the moisture comes out of it

and that's what those marks are from.

The production press won't have that.

- And what thickness did each of these boards start as?

- One inch.

- Wow.

What's the strength of this compared to comparable steel?

- We have a 550 megapascal tensile strength

in the grain direction.

This is the grain direction.

Try to bend this in this direction would have that.

Or you could have it in this direction as well,

you can go in either one.

What we're trying to do is replace steel beams and columns.

So if you think about the mass timber revolution

that's happening in our country right now,

which is a fantastic development in engineering,

actually, in construction.

One problem-

- Tell me about what this is 'cause I'm not-

- Well, mass timber is building tall buildings with wood.

Problem with it is volume,

so we've taken the mass and we've reduced the volume,

we've solved that problem.

To build tall buildings, just like you would with steel,

it's half the cost to produce of steel or aluminum.

And obviously, the CO2 footprint is a net negative, so it's-

- Sure, yeah, I mean, this is-

- A great environmental-

- This is a great example of carbon capture, right?

- Yes, exactly.

Because of the lightweight of this,

we've actually been able to take veneer,

peeled thick veneers of wood

and densify them down to thin veneers and make honeycomb.

So this is an example of a honeycomb.

So this is 1/32nd of an inch thick veneer,

and if I put this on the floor,

this has higher compressive strength than aluminum.

If you put your foot flat on top of

and take your weight off.

- [Interviewer] Amazing.

- [Interviewee] And it's 1/32nd of an inch.

This can go into airplanes, walls,

into anything where you want compressive strength.

- [Interviewer] So you do like

engineered wall panels out of this?

- We're actually talking to companies that do concert halls,

we're looking at ways

that we can utilize the strength of the wood

but also still have the acoustic value.

But I think it has more application and things like doors,

door cores-

- Yeah, okay.

- Wherever you have an aluminum honeycomb today,

you could essentially do this

with a negative CO2 footprint and half the cost.

- That's awesome.

- We just have to learn how to mass produce it.

- Well, that was my next question is like, yeah, what-

- So we're building a facility right now

in Frederick, Maryland.

- Okay.

- It's our pilot plant,

we're gonna produce a million square feet of this a year.

The whole project is to show

that we can actually manufacture it in a setting.

- [Interviewer] And you're gonna start with structural

or honeycomb?

- No, we're gonna actually start with siding.

This is an example of a poplar board.

- Yep. - That we've turned into this-

- Yeah, I cognize that from Home Depot.

- Yeah, so this is the siding,

so a lap siding that will go on,

and by the way, it's ESTM 8E-84 fireproof.

- [Interviewer] And what does that mean?

- That means it's non-combustible,

it chars and self extinguishes.

- Sure. - Yeah.

And it's bulletproof.

- [Interviewer] Just comparing the look of these two like

this looks super finished and polished.

- [Interviewee] So what you can see is that grain

actually stays in the densified wood.

- [Interviewer] It just gets darker and-

- [Interviewee] It just gets darker.

- [Interviewer] Yeah. - Interviewee] Yeah.

- We always think of darker wood

as sort of higher quality and higher, you know?

- Yeah, like old- - Higher finish.

- Or teak or mahogany- - Sure, I mean, yeah,

it looks almost like a teak.

- Yeah, this one here, by the way,

is gonna replace aluminum tubes.

There are people, there are architects

that design emergency shelters for disaster relief.

And they build buildings out of these paper tubes

and we can now take wood and make much, much stronger-

- That's awesome. - Buildings and provide-

- And so, can you do like engineered composites

like you would for a bicycle or something like that

where you're doing non-regular forms?

- Yeah, we can actually three dimensionally press the veneer

so we can press the veneer into whatever shape we want,

like the honeycomb for example,

and then we can laminate those veneers together

and make a solid like a roof for a Tesla car or you know-

- Amazing.

- Yeah, automotive components.

- Yeah, so anywhere you would use a,

like a carbon fiber, a fiberglass composite,

you can use this.

- Yes.

- That's amazing.

- We believe that the world will eventually be moving back

to wooden buildings.

And we believe that this technology

is actually gonna be a step toward securing that future.

- What's the name of your company and where's your-

- So our company is called InventWood

and we are out of Maryland.

We were actually a spinoff from the University of Maryland

and we're now a private company

building in Frederick, Maryland, an hour out of DC.

- Awesome, and where's your funding from?

- We received a grant from ARPA-E, the Department of Energy.

- Yep.

- Because of the carbon nature of this store,

and we've been super grateful to ARPA-E,,

they've been wonderful to work with,

but they've provided the funding for us

to really get perfect the laboratory

and now the funds to build this pilot plant.

And now we've got some private investors coming on board

as well, so we're hoping that the company

will eventually be self-sustaining, right?

- Yeah, awesome.

Well, thank you.

- Thank you.

- I wanna quickly address some comments from the last video.

Some people are upset that I released an interview

with people in the current White House administration

or even attended the event at all.

First off, it's super cool I got invited,

how could I not go?

The policies they discussed, I thought were interesting

and getting to ask questions from my perspective

and from what I think yours might be seemed really valuable.

And like it or not,

as engineers and technically minded folks,

our work and hobbies are affected by politics.

Do you wish you could visit your local electronics markets?

Or hate that it takes two weeks to get a PCB made

where you live?

Shenzhen's amazing electronics markets

and manufacturing ecosystem exist

because of government policy.

This stuff matters and it affects us all.

Some of you were also upset

that I talked with a spokesperson

from the current administration.

Now, were you mad that I talked to their guy

instead of yours?

But I'll be honest, if the previous administration

had invited me, I likely would've gone too.

Hearing about policies and the government's approach

to innovation and manufacturing is important

no matter who's currently sitting behind the desk

in that oval room.

We did pretty heavily moderate

the comments on the last video,

I don't think there's much value in seeing comments like,

screw this guy or screw that guy or propaganda,

I've always tried to keep the comment section a place

for healthy conversation

and if you just wanna throw insults,

your comment was probably deleted.

But if you had something nuanced to say about the policies,

it was welcome, even if I disagree with it.

Lastly, some folks said,

I didn't subscribe to this channel to hear about politics,

I subscribed for entertainment and cool technology

and that rings true, I get it.

And I felt like I needed to release that video

to give context for the others from the event

showing all of the cool tech I saw.

But I do understand why that video

wasn't what you signed up for

and I'm not promising I'll never touch on politics again,

but I can promise it won't be a regular thing.