NEWood closes the loop – a 100% bio-based, climate-friendly and circular material alternative for the construction industry
Research Project NEWood – Sustainable material innovation for the construction and furniture industry
Project representatives of all projects funded under the ‘Circular Construction – Climate Protection through Recycling Management’ programme © Baden-Württemberg Stiftung gGmbH
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), under the direction of Prof. Rebekka Volk (IIP), is working in close collaboration with the project leader Dr. Nazanin Saeidi from the research department of the Professorship of Sustainable Construction (IEB) to develop the innovative material ‘NEWood’, a 100% bio-based and circular material alternative with great potential for the construction and furniture industries. This material is produced exclusively from wood processing residues, agricultural waste and mushroom mycelium – completely without fossil raw materials. In the process, biogenic carbon is permanently bound, making an important contribution to climate protection.
The construction and operation of buildings and the creation of infrastructure are responsible for around 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, cities consume over 75% of the world’s resources and generate about half of the global waste. In this context, alternative and sustainable materials such as NEWood are becoming increasingly important in order to significantly reduce the emissions of material-intensive industries and promote the circular economy.
The project aims to develop 1:1 demonstrators that illustrate the versatility of NEWood for interior wall systems and furniture components. These demonstrators will be designed to meet the legal standards of the construction and furniture industries in order to enable the material to be launched on the market. In addition, the project includes a life cycle analysis, a cost analysis and a feasibility study for industrialisation. The results will be presented at trade fairs, at the KIT Department of Architecture and in the central library of the KIT in order to make the application possibilities and the potential of NEWood visible to the public.
The project is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung gGmbH and will run from July 2024 to June 2026. In addition to the KIT, partners such as König + Neurath AG and Fiber Engineering are involved in the development.
NEWood combines innovation and sustainability. With its ability to permanently bind biogenic carbon and replace fossil materials, this material can revolutionise the circular economy in the construction and furniture industries. At the same time, it makes a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the climate.
