Hydrophobing products from renewable raw materials - Enhanced recyclability and flame retardancy

Various materials are used to insulate buildings against heat loss. They include polystyrene-based or polyurethane-based materials, materials made of mineral wool, and naturally occurring materials such as wood shavings, wood fibers, perlite, and expanded glass or clay. Both the fibers and the insulating materials used involve technically complex manufacture requiring high primary energy consumption, both severe disadvantages. Some of the raw materials are also not available everywhere.
So the University of Bonn has developed a material that improves on existing solutions in both ecology and energy consumption. It does so with plant components from renewable raw materials such as the miscanthus (commonly known as silvergrass). These plants can be grown almost anywhere, require very little of their environment, and absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2). Other plant species offer similar potential.
To make such a plant-based starting material commercially viable, it must be protected from the adverse effects of water. So developing a hydrophobing method was critical. This method involved treating the starting material with a hydrophobing agent. The starting material is shredded (chopped or ground, for instance). Then a mixture of the plant-based starting material and at least one stainless steel soap is manufactured and heated. The thermal activation thus achieved causes the hydrophilic group from the metal group to accumulate on the surface of the plant-based starting material.