this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2025
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Environment

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Environment:

The totality of the natural world, often excluding humans.

A subset of the natural world; an ecosystem.

The combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, behavior, and survival of organisms.

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Exclusive: InventWood is about to mass-produce wood that’s stronger than steel (techcrunch.com)
submitted 9 months ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/environment@sh.itjust.works
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InventWood's Superwood represents a breakthrough material that transforms ordinary wood into a substance stronger than steel through molecular restructuring and densification[^1]. The company is launching a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland in Q3 2025 to begin commercial production[^7].

Key features of Superwood:

  • 50% more tensile strength than steel with 10x better strength-to-weight ratio[^9]
  • Fire-resistant, rot-resistant, and pest-resistant while maintaining wood's natural appearance[^7]
  • Created through a two-step process involving chemical treatment and hot-pressing[^8]
  • Can be produced in hours rather than weeks using "food industry" chemicals[^9]

Environmental Impact:

  • Could replace up to 80% of global steel and concrete use[^5]
  • Potential to reduce carbon emissions by 37.2 gigatons over 30 years[^5]
  • Trees act as carbon stores: steel produces 1.85 kg CO2 per kilogram, while wood removes 1.8 kg CO2[^5]

Business Development:

  • Secured $15 million in Series A funding in 2025[^7]
  • Total capital raised exceeds $50 million[^7]
  • Formed partnership with Intectural for North American distribution[^7]
  • Initial products will focus on building facades before expanding to structural applications[^9]

[^1]: InventWood — Technology [^5]: InventWood aims to 'replace steel and concrete' [^7]: InventWood Announces $15 Million First Close of Series A [^8]: New Atlas - 'Superwood' that's 50% stronger than steel is coming this year [^9]: TechCrunch - InventWood is about to mass-produce wood that's stronger than steel

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[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Ordinary wood cannot be used for building facades due to fire hazards. The treated version is fire resistant.

[–] rbn@sopuli.xyz 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Thanks for the info. Were all the wooden facades and houses that are existing for ages then treated with a special fire retardant?

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 0 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I assume it's talking about high rise and commercial buildings. You don't want a 50 story building catching fire like a roman candle because somebody dropped a ciggie in the wrong spot. Most such buildings currently use steel cladding for that reason.

[–] rbn@sopuli.xyz 0 points 9 months ago

That makes sense, but it's at least not what they currently advertise on their homepage.