Page 9 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2021

Researchers Modify

Wood to Generate

Low-Voltage Electricity

Scientists are closing in on a way to
turn a home’s wooden frame into a

power source.

Green energy is currently generated from several sources:
solar, wind and water. You may soon be able to add trees to that
list. Scientists at Swiss research institutes ETH Zurich and
Smart shoppers. More than ever, sustainable goods are striking a major Empa have biologically modified balsa wood and made it more
chord with consumers, regardless of somewhat higher costs. compressible, turning it into a mini- generator. When compressed
CREDIT: MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES/ISTOCK
and decompressed about 600 times, a 1.5-centimeter block
generates an electrical voltage strong enough to power a biosensor.
Study: Consumers Prefer According to a report by ETH Zurich, 30 such blocks could power
an LCD display, and modified, enhanced versions could one day
Green Products, But be used within a wooden frame to help power a home.

Struggle to Identify them Energy mass. It’s not
very powerful yet, but
More than two-thirds of respondents say wood used for housing
construction may
they will pay more for sustainable brands. become another way
to generate clean
Americans are seeking out and are willing to pay a premium electricity.
for environmentally friendly products, according to a new study CREDIT: PHOTOVS/ISTOCK
from Atlanta-based environmental tech company GreenPrint.
The first-ever edition of the company’s Business of Sustainability
Index found that 64 percent of Americans are willing to pay more
for sustainable goods, but a substantial number (74 percent) don’t
know how to identify them. Seventy-eight percent of consumers
are more likely to purchase a product that is clearly labeled
“environmentally friendly.”
In addition, 77 percent of Americans are concerned about the
environmental impact of products they buy. Seventy-six percent
would switch their preferred packaged goods brand for a goods
maker that was offsetting carbon emissions. Seventy-four percent Basic wood has a miniscule electrical property, according
would switch gasoline brands in the same situation. to ETH Zurich researcher Jianguo Sun. The treated product,
The study also found a large degree of mistrust about referred to by team members as “piezo wood,” generates an
companies’ pro-environmental claims. Fifty-three percent of electrical voltage 85 times higher than that of untreated wood.
Americans “never” or “only sometimes” believe such statements. “There are clear advantages to such a system,” Sun notes.
To trust a company’s word, 45 percent of consumers say they However, there are still several steps to go before piezo wood
need a third-party validating source. can be deployed as a biosensor, or even as an electricity- harvesting
“Companies must build trust and loyalty, by clearly parquet floor. Researchers are now exploring, in cooperation with
demonstrating that they share environmental goals with their various partners, ways to adapt the technology for industrial
customers,” says GreenPrint CEO and co-founder Pete Davis. applications. GB
“Defending and preserving our planet is not only the right thing
to do, it’s good business.” The study appears in the journal Science Advances.

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