Could Superwood replace steel in construction?

What just happened? A US company has launched a new type of wood that it says has up to 10 times the strength-to-weight ratio of steel and is six times lighter. The aptly named Superwood has the potential to revolutionize industries, especially construction.

Superwood, which we looked at earlier this year prior to its launch, is the result of a lengthy mission by material scientist Liangbing Hu, co-founder of the InventWood company that now sells the commercial product.

Hu started looking at ways of re-engineering wood while working at the University of Maryland 's Center for Materials Innovation over ten years ago, writes CNN. The professor wanted to make wood stronger by enhancing cellulose, the main component of plant fiber.

In 2017, Hu first developed the process that led to Superwood. It involves removing certain components from the wood, boiling it in a bath of water and "food industry" chemicals, then hot-pressing the material to increase the hydrogen bonds between molecules, significantly increasing its density.

At the end of the process, the wood is left with a strength-to-weight ratio "higher than that of most structural metals and alloys," according to the journal Nature.

InventWood CEO Alex Lau said that Superwood could allow the creation of buildings that are four times lighter than current structures. This would make them more resistant to earthquakes and be easier on the foundations, which should result in faster and easier construction.