Innovative Bio-Compressed Materials from Agricultural Waste for Prefabricated Buildings

Directly from the Eco-Friendly Materials Research Unit at Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi: “Innovative Bio-Compressed Materials from Agricultural Waste for Prefabricated Buildings.” The work of Asst. Prof. Dr. Prachoom Khamput, a researcher and lecturer from the Faculty of Engineering, won the WIIPA Special Award from the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA) and a Gold Medal from the Association of Polish Inventors and Rationalizers at “The 18th International Warsaw Invention Show (IWIS 2024)”. The winning project was titled “BioWood: Innovative Use of Biomass for High-Performance Artificial Construction Materials.”

Asst. Prof. Dr. Prachoom stated that the problems of PM2.5 dust from burning agricultural waste and the construction industry’s need to reduce cement use (due to high carbon emissions) are urgent issues requiring solutions. There is also a demand for a return to using natural wood construction materials. This innovation transforms agricultural waste into wood substitute materials for all parts of eco-friendly buildings, including boards, frames, bricks, and sandwich walls. It is a new innovation not yet available in Thailand, addressing global trends and meeting modern market demand. Market data for wood substitute materials shows Thailand is a key ASEAN market, producing the most wood substitutes from agricultural waste and exporting about 50% of its production capacity, or approximately 2 million cubic meters per year.

The production process for these bio-compressed materials involves developing machine technology to a suitable scale for SMEs for commercial production. The new machine can produce boards and sandwich walls larger than 50×30 cm, and frame components longer than 1-3 meters, sizes comparable to real wood in the market. It features high pre-forming capability (up to 50 cm), automatic hydraulic compression (100 tons, 20 bar), adjustable temperatures up to 250°C, and a production time of 7-30 minutes depending on thickness and biomass type. The compressed bio-plates are made from agricultural residues like corn cobs, which are shredded, mixed with environmentally friendly binders, and hot-pressed to create standard construction-grade boards. Products include parquet boards (30×30 cm), ceiling boards (50×30 cm), frame components (1.5×3 inches, 1-3 m long), artificial wood bricks (3x6x14 cm), and sandwich walls (40×20 cm).

These biobased wood substitute materials—boards, frames, bricks, and sandwich walls—can be used as components in prefabricated wooden buildings (knockdown) for the construction and decoration industry. They are energy-efficient, soundproof, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and are eco-friendly. For more details, contact Facebook: Eco-Friendly Materials Research Unit, Email: prachoom_k@rmutt.ac.th, Phone: 02-5493410.

Images, News, and Dissemination by: Public Relations Division, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi.