A Partnership Toward 可持续的绝缘
U of I Team Helps Develop New Local Hemp Product
Not everyone would turn to hemp as an environmentally friendly building insulation material.
但这就是 365滚球官网 学院 艺术与建筑 (CAA)和 自然资源 (CNR) are working toward, alongside the Ketchum-based company Hempitecture.
The company needed solid research on their hemp products 和 it engaged CAA’s expertise in designing sustainable 和 energy-efficient buildings 和 CNR’s knowledge of natural materials’ properties.
在一起, the team hopes to design a product that will save home builders money, 彻底改变建筑行业, grow the local economy 和 help the environment by maintaining a minimal carbon footprint during production.
大麻藏在你的墙后
体系结构, 自然资源 和 Engineering students participate in hemp research as a building material
Hempitecture is developing an industry-st和ard insulation material composed of hemp fibers. 伊利诺伊大学获得了20万美元的奖金 Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) grant to conduct research on the development of their natural fiber insulation, HempWool. A CNR team is testing the fire resistance of the product while the CAA team at the 综合设计实验室 (IDL) determines the thermal properties of the insulation material.
泰勒Schram, a research assistant at the IDL 和 a CAA master’s student graduating in Spring 2022, is assisting on the thermal research project. He’s been assisting fellow research assistant Isabelle Boicourt, testing the material for thermal conductivity 和 creating a physical model to show builders what the material looks like once it’s inside the walls.
Working at the IDL has really given me the opportunity to learn 和 work on different aspects of energy efficiency in buildings,施拉姆说. “The experience has helped me underst和 how to better support builders to meet sustainability goals as well as given me a strong foundation to incorporate this knowledge in my future work as an architect.”
“Working at the IDL has really given me the opportunity to learn 和 work on different aspects of energy efficiency in buildings. The experience has helped me underst和 how to better support builders to meet sustainability goals as well as given me a strong foundation to incorporate this knowledge in my future work as an architect.” 泰勒·施拉姆22岁，CAA毕业生
The Hempitecture project is an example of the IDL’s collaborative nature. IDL students 和 staff come from engineering 和 architecture backgrounds. 达蒙森林, IDL的导演, also seeks partnerships outside those fields to find the necessary expertise required by different projects.
例如, Woods approached CNR’s Professor Arm和o McDonald 和 Assistant Professor Lili Cai in the Department of Forest, Rangel和 和 Fire Sciences to collaborate in the research on hemp’s potential as insulation material.
McDonald’s team of experts in renewable materials is testing the product 和 comparing it to existing products in the industry, 检查不同的阻燃剂, 和 even using technology to time the ignition 和 heat release of the product 和 the smoke amount coming out if it. 在麦当劳, research into sustainable products is crucial to mitigating the effects of climate change 和 to make a positive difference in Idaho’s communities.
“IGEM’s funding main focus is to support industry 和 economic endeavors in Idaho,” McDonald said. “影响远不止于此. The business will positively impact local farmers by buying local hemp, instead of transporting raw materials across the country. They minimize their carbon footprint by staying local. 它将创造就业机会.”
除了, hemp insulation helps the environment by encouraging builders to use natural fibers instead of petroleum-based products. And the hemp plants will sequester carbon dioxide for the duration of the product’s life.
“Sustainable products are key in mitigating climate change,” McDonald said.
蔡丽丽博士.D.
林学助理教授 & 可持续发展的产品
