Wood Residue Insulation

Descriptions

Coed Cymru has successfully secured an extension to its project entitled ‘Improving the Supply Chain for Low Value Welsh Timber’ under the Rural Development Plan for Wales Supply Chain Efficiencies Scheme. The project involves working with timber producers and processing businesses in Wales to add value to low grade Welsh timber and includes the development of wood residue as insulation in buildings. The project now seeks to develop the technical capacity to bring this to market, either as a product in its own right or as part of an off-site construction system, such as “Ty Unnos”, to deliver a fully integrated high performance product utilising a ‘closed loop’ manufacturing process.A previous feasibility study has indicated that it is possible for wood residue insulation (WRI) to achieve a thermal conductivity of 0.046 W/mK through fractionation of wood shavings and selection the optimum particle size. WRI also has the potential to offer a significant improvement in thermal mass compared to conventional insulation products, which opens up the potential to better regulate temperature in buildings during warmer weather. This project should build upon the initial feasibility study to take the concept of producing insulation from wood residue through to a pre-commercial production specification.