Development of Various Building Materials Based on Paludiculture Cattail

Besides the reduction of gases through the rewetting of peatlands that have been laid dry, cattails are optimally suited as raw material for industrial use due to their enormous growth performance and yield. Typha stands form resilient, natural monocultures with an annual production output of 15 to 20 tons of dry matter per hectare. Wet use of peatland ensures natural peatland functions such as nutrient and water retention and represents an appropriate, sustainable alternative land use for the future. Cultivation brings ecological benefits in terms of stabilisation and renaturation of rewetted fen areas. At the same time, water protection is also achieved through the cultivation of Typha. With the help of cultivated areas planted with Typha, large amounts of nutrients and pollutants can be removed from the surface water and the area can be protected from further progressive soil erosion. Due to the special structural properties of cattails, a building material was developed, the magnesite-bonded Typhaboard, which offers a unique combination of load-bearing capacity and insulation. This innovative building material has many other positive properties: Building material made from renewable raw material with a very high resistance to mold growth; easy workability with all common tools; low energy consumption during production and its recyclability. This product contains only vegetable ingredients and a purely mineral adhesive without any other additives. As a result, it is easily recyclable and even fully compostable and thus almost complies with the Cradle to Cradle concept.
Starting from the Typhaboard already used in several buildings, new building materials based on cattail have been developed in the meanwhile. In addition to magnesite as a binder, other adhesives have been successfully tested which are also sustainable and do not stand in the way of composting. Even using clay, stable and at the same time, insulating boards can be produced for applications that are not exposed to any particular moisture load. Another example is the development of a board for on-roof insulation, which has a lower bulk density and thermal conductivity due to a special particle geometry and arrangement. Furthermore, a low-dust blown-in insulation made of cattail and a kind of OSB substitute with comparable strengths are developed as well as a special very slim ceiling structure made of Typha. The development of a high load-bearing wood substitute is also in progress.