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While glass plays a crucial role in various construction projects, it also brings significant environmental challenges. Its non-biodegradable nature and the complexities surrounding its recycling process make it less desirable. Surprisingly, in some instances, glass can be more damaging to the environment compared to plastic. For years, researchers have sought ways to enhance the sustainability of glass production, yet traditional methods have remained remarkably unchanged for millennia. Consequently, the focus has shifted towards exploring innovative alternatives to glass, such as chemically modified wood.
Bharat Baruah, a chemistry professor at Kennesaw State University and a woodworking enthusiast, recently contemplated whether wood could serve as an effective substitute for glass. However, a fundamental challenge arises with this idea: traditional wood is typically opaque, making it unsuitable for applications that require transparency.
Utilizing his background in chemistry, Baruah sought to address this issue. Wood is composed of three primary elements: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. By stripping away hemicellulose and lignin from a wooden sheet, what remains is a translucent, paper-like structure made primarily of cellulose. This process involved placing balsa wood into a vacuum chamber along with various chemicals, such as sodium sulfite, a delignifying agent, diluted bleach, and lye.
Baruah’s inspiration for developing transparent wood traces back to his childhood experiences in northeastern India, where he observed that ancient structures had endured for centuries thanks to a unique form of cement made from sand, sticky rice, and egg whites. This led him to hypothesize that incorporating similar ingredients into balsa cellulose could strengthen and fortify the material for potential construction uses.
The results from this innovative approach were semi-transparent wood slices that preserved their strength while also offering flexibility. To test this new material, Baruah modified a wooden birdhouse to incorporate a small window made from the novel wood. After placing the birdhouse under a heat lamp, the research team noted that its internal temperature was 9 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than when a conventional glass pane was used—suggesting that this enhanced wood may provide an energy-efficient alternative in the future.
The potential applications for transparent wood extend beyond simple construction. In a separate experiment, Baruah and his assistant, Ridham Raval, integrated silver nanowires into select samples, demonstrating their viability for use in solar cells, wearable sensors, and protective coatings. While silver nanowires are not biodegradable, alternatives such as graphene may allow for environmentally friendly designs.
However, the dream of using wood for window panes in homes remains distant. While impressive strides have been made, Baruah acknowledged that more work is required to enhance the material’s clarity. Additionally, scalability of the current method presents a challenge. Nevertheless, these advancements hold great promise for the future, representing a significant leap forward in finding affordable and sustainable substitutes for traditional glass.
Source
www.popsci.com