The University of Idaho recently announced that it has been awarded nearly $4 million from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program to develop technology for the conversion of wood waste into 3D-printing building materials.

Research will focus on the further development and testing of an additive manufacturing process as well as the design and construction of a 3D printer capable of producing modular wall, floor, and roof panels printed from wood. Funding for the research extends through 2025.

“We’re developing a new composite material, using completely bio-based resources on a truly large scale,” said University of Idaho College of Engineering assistant professor and research lead Michael Maughan. “With this technology, houses and commercial buildings can be made entirely differently. We can push past climate change, mitigate impact on our environment, and make better use of the natural resources we have.”

Along with sustainability, the focus of the research will also be on the material’s resistance to fire, water damage, pests, and other degrading agents.

Since 2019, the research team has worked in collaboration with the College of Art and Architecture’s Integrated Design Lab and the College of Natural Resources. Together, they have developed an advanced 3D-printing technology using a binding agent and wood fibers not used by the lumber market, such as waste wood and sawdust from mills and wood processing plants. In addition, as part of the funding, researchers from Auburn University will join the team to assist with the refinement of the binding agent. 

The University of Idaho already has experience producing sustainable building projects with engineered wood. Later this month, the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena is scheduled to open a campus building that is the country’s first engineered wood venue of its kind, according to the university. 

As mentioned in the university’s press release, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that 60% of global waste is produced from the construction sector. Maughan believes that with its unique carbon sequestration potential, this new 3D-printed material has the potential to reduce that significantly.