Technology Sustainable
new building material
NaMiComp is a new sustainable wood fiber composite material based on an alternative water-based and completely cement-free inorganic binder technology developed at INM.
The alternative binder can bind various organic fibers from different sources, such as wood, or alternative feedstocks, such as reed, bagasse, or similar. This way, the binder can be a base for fabricating composite fiber boards with excellent performance for building and construction applications.
An excellent natural source for wood fibers is the acacia encroacher bush growing in Sub-Sahara African countries. The bushes bind a lot of CO2 from the atmosphere but on the other hand create major environmental problems, as they are an invasive species that takes out the ground water, reduces grasslands and hinders the development of wildlife. In Namibia alone, the encroacher bush covers an area equivalent to the size of Italy which is > 300 Mio. m³ of biomass from which currently only 1 % is used for charcoal production and animal feed. The acacia wood fibers have been used together with the new binder to develop and produce local building materials for low-cost housing in order to avoid the use of corrugated iron sheets thus helping to solve a major societal challenge for the local population in Namibia and its neighbor countries. The development has been financially supported by the GIZ (BLP-program: PN 2011.2200.1 and PN 2017.2064.8).
The NaMicomp building material exhibits excellent mechanical performance, fire-resistance, and weathering properties, achieved by a final carbonation (2nd) curing step. It fulfills high classification for particle boards (EN 312: P5 = load-bearing purposes for use in damp areas up to P7 = high load-bearing purposes for use in damp areas). The new inorganic binder itself shows a four times better carbon-footprint than cement. The NaMiComp fiberboard platform with this alternative binder is a patented technology from INM.
WO 2023227712 A1, C. Becker-Willinger, M. Bukowski, A. Cheikhyoussef, E. Naomab, L. R. Naomas, B. Reinhard, A. H. Stuurmann, Non-Weathering, Flame-Poof Composite Material, INM gGmbH, 27.05.2022.
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