UNBC Wood Concrete Marketing Team
www.unbc.ca/woodconcrete
Mountain Pine Beetle Wood Concrete
Wood Cement Composites
Mineral Bonded Wood Materials
(definition):
“the utilization of surplus wood
wastes: shavings, wool, or
sawdust using inorganic binders:
gypsum, magnesite, or Portland
cement”
One of the first patents, in 1910,
described as:
“a method to produce fire safe,
lightweight, porous material”
History
•
1900 - The first mineral bonded board was produced by an
Austrian carpenter using wood shavings and gypsum.
•
1920 - The first Wood Wool Cement Board (WWCB) is
produced in Austria. Several others in Europe followed.
•
1930 - Wooden lath reinforced WWCB roofing boards produced
in Holland, along with the first Cement Bonded Wood Chips
(Durisol) boards.
•
1950 - Velox boards produced in Austria from course wood
particles and cement.
•
1970 - The first Cement Bonded Particle Board (CBPB), called
Duripanel, was produced in Switzerland.
•
2000 - Eltomation developed a fully automatic plant for Wood
Strand Cement Board with approx. 1100 kg/m³, called
EltoBoard
Technological Process
Cement
Wood
Mixer
Mat
distribution
on form board
Pressing
Trimming and
finishing
Curing
room/yard
Water
Material Attributes
Wood-based panels
Drywall
Wood-cement materials
(OSB, plywood)
(Gypsum board)
(CBPB, WWCB)
Water resistance




Fire resistance




Fungal/termite/








Bending strength




Lightweight




Nail holding
capacity




Workability








mold resistance
Acoustic
insulation
Durability
Concrete
European Products
Brazilian Products
Philippine Products
American Products
MPB Wood Concrete Compatibility
POOR
Decay
Extractives
MPB-killed
wood-cement
compatibility
GOOD
Index values
MPB Wood Concrete Compatibility
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
CA
CI
CX
Sound
wood
TSD-1
TSD-2
TSD-3
TSD-4
Bluestained
sapwood
Research Questions
• Wood-cement compatibility
– Lodgepole pine is the most compatible wood species
in North America (paradigm/imitation)
– What about beetle-killed lodgepole pine compatibility
with Portland cement? (research question/innovation)
• Interior walls
– Gypsum board isn’t the best building material on the
market (paradigm/imitation)
– What about replacing it with a wood-cement panel?
(research question/innovation)
MPB Wood Concrete Products
• Various applications of the material
are in use and/or under development
• Versatility of wood concrete leads to
many possible applications
Planters
Benches
Countertops – Ramada Hotel PG
Countertops –
Union of BC Municipalities HQ (Victoria)
Interior Walls
Moulded Products
Structural Applications / Walls
Marketing Research
• Phase I: Focus Groups
– 76 participants discussed wood concrete
– Most participants responded very positively to
product. Industrial/professional consumers
wanted to know more about technical specs.
– Greenness: It has green properties such as
employing an otherwise unusable component.
However, there is skepticism because of the
energy/emissions used to produce concrete.
– Potential applications: flooring or patio tiles,
garden blocks, countertops, and furniture
– Pricing: People might consider this product if it
were 10% higher or lower in cost than what it is
replacing
Marketing Research
• Phase II: Conjoint Analysis
– 151 participants rated product bundles on a 100
point scale for three products
• Countertops
• Garden blocks
• Floor tiles
– General preference toward attributes:
• Location of production was rated as the
most important attribute.
Phase II: Conjoint Analysis
• General preference toward attributes
45
40
38.1
35.8 35.9
35
30
23.6
25
21.9 21.1
20.6 21.0
20
17.9
15.3
13.5
15
10
11.8
10.6
9.1
3.8
5
0
Relative Price
Colour
Wood Chip Size
Countertops
Floor Tiles
Green Certification
Garden
Location of
Production
Phase II: Conjoint Analysis
• Relative Importance of Attributes (Countertops)
Phase II: Conjoint Analysis
• Relative Importance of Attributes (Floor tiles)
Phase II: Conjoint Analysis
• Relative Importance of Attributes (Garden Blocks)