by kevin, on April 12th, 2010
Image courtesy of Ecor web site
Some of the most interesting developments today in sustainable building materials might be occurring at offices and laboratories within federal agencies. One example is the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison, WI. This century old government lab, operated by the U.S. Forest Service through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has conducted remarkable scientific research on wood products and their potential commercial application. During the late 1980s a research general engineer named John Hunt began experimenting with dimensional fiber products. His primary focus was wet formed molded hardboard panels made from bio-based low yield wood, recycled paper, and agro fibers. His ground-breaking work led to a number of commercial products with names like Spaceboard and Gridcore.
In 1992, Robert Noble created Gridcore Systems International (GSI), licensed the patented Gridcore technology from the FPL, and developed a business plan to commercialize the proprietary process of molding cellulose fibers into three dimensional structures to create high performance panels from recycled resources. Although an interesting and unusual material, Gridcore was not the first, or only, product of its kind. It’s lineage can conceptually be tied to similar products made from pressed straw, wheat, paper, and byproducts of agriculture.
Seven years after its founding the company shuttered their Long Beach, CA manufacturing facility and halted production. “We made a strategic mistake in trying to position the product as a commodity product to compete with others such as plywood and MDF,” says founder Robert Noble during a recent interview, “and attempted to compete with those on price.” Engineered wood panels live in a category where price alone typically drives purchasing decisions. GSI found it difficult to communicate the environmentally favorable attributes of their product in such a selling climate.
Image courtesy of Ecor web site
So why am I telling you about a failed enterprise? Because people, and companies, occasionally have to fail in order to achieve greater success later. Sometimes the product is right but the timing, marketing, or sales strategy is wrong. There are business leaders who believe you can’t succeed without failing at least once. Getting back on the horse after falling off demonstrates fortitude and determination that leads to something better. And that’s exactly what happened.
In 2005, Robert Noble called John Hunt, still at FPL, to catch up and hear about what new projects he had in the works. As it turns out, Mr. Hunt had just finished work on a refined version of Gridcore now called Ecor®. The new product is based on the same technology, but the raw material options are dramatically expanded to include almost any recycled cellulose fiber resource.
Again, Mr. Noble licensed the new technology, reassembled the former team, and launched Noble Environmental Technologies Corporation in San Diego, CA to produce Ecor® composite panels. Ecor® Advanced Environmental Composites are made from 100% recycled content. Raw material fiber sources include waste corrugated cardboard, waste newspaper, and agricultural fibers. But the most interesting is what Mr. Noble terms Bovine Processed Fiber – that’s code for processed cow poop.
Most cattle feed in the U.S. is corn silage. The cows’ four stomachs remove nutrients from the feed and fiber passes through. Their waste can be processed in an anaerobic digester through a 28 day cycle that mimics the biological system of the cow; with similar temperature and bacteria present. One byproduct, called acidogenic digestate, is used to make Ecor® and is composed principally of lignin and cellulose fiber.
Agricultural byproducts, waste agricultural material, and natural processed fiber represent remarkable opportunity as raw material resource. Most of us are familiar with municipal solid waste (MSW); it’s what we drag to the curb each week, is collected by garbage trucks, and delivered to landfills or incinerators. Even though the U.S. generates more MSW than any other country, it represents just 1% of the total known waste produced nationally. Industrial, special, and hazardous wastes make up the other 99%; material that doesn’t usually go to a landfill. But that’s merely the proverbial tip of a colossal waste iceberg. Agricultural waste, which typically never leaves the site where it’s produced, is four times larger in volume. And Ecor® can tap that vast supply as its raw material supply.
Beyond the abundant sourcing potential, Robert Noble and his team are proposing other strategies that could be game-changers. One program that will be available as the company expands its operation is one they call YOURCOR. They will partner with other companies to convert their own paper or fiber waste into new panels which can be used by that same company as new construction material. They are literally closing the loop. And at the end of its life, Ecor® will buy back the material. They call this RECOR. The material can be reused or repurposed, or it can be ground and returned to the production cycle as raw material.
Image courtesy of Ecor web site
Currently, the product is available as 24” x 96” flat sheets or corrugated panels. All are unfinished. From a design perspective, flexibility is one of the most interesting attributes of Ecor®. It can be shaped, molded, combined, and treated in any manner you can conceive. Take a look at their web site image gallery to see examples of their own capability experiments. It’s strong and durable. Early testing suggests that flat sheets combined with corrugated ones to create hollow core composite panels are stronger than many engineered wood products like OSB, MDF, or plywood. But because the core is hollow, you get the benefit of strength without the weight.
Aesthetically, Ecor® communicates its natural bio-based heritage. Panel color varies depending on the initial recycled raw material, but is generally greenish brown. One side has a slight dimpled texture and the other is relatively smooth. Both offer interesting tactile potential. If sheets of paper, or paper-based products, are placed in the mold just prior to pressing, it can be fused into the panel surface. It’s not another layer on top, it actually is the surface, and is completely intact. There’s no degradation. The panels are hydroscopic, meaning they attract moisture, and should receive stain or color treatments well. I was shown a number of beautiful stained samples. I haven’t used Ecor® yet, but I’m looking forward to testing it in several upcoming retail projects.
Mr. Noble and team may have been early with Gridcore, or may have approached the market with the wrong brand message, but the sustainable building materials market today seems ready and eager for Ecor®. Even though the product is new, it is built on years of experience and knowledge. The manufacturing process hasn’t significantly changed. The institutional knowledge is intact, they’ve learned valuable lessons from their previous launch, and they are ready to take another better positioned shot. I wish them luck, and hope that other designers will discover this fascinating story and compelling product.
If you would like to see samples or learn more, contact their National Sales Representative David Lasher. Ecor® is available in a variety of raw material content mixes, but David assures me that eventually I’ll be able to get panels with as much processed cow s**t content as I desire. I can’t wait.
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