Startup Claims Its "Superwood" Is Stronger Than Steel

A new startup claims it can mass-produce "Superwood," a material that's stronger and lighter than steel, with 90 percent lower carbon emissions compared to the widely used alloy. InventWood, the company behind the material, says its new product "has the capacity to substitute up to 80 percent of steel used globally," and "reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 2 gigatons." According to the firm, its Superwood has up to 50 percent more tensile strength compared to steel, has "minimal expansion and contraction," and a Class A fire rating — all crucial details for architects who might someday use Superwood in their buildings. As TechCrunch reports, the startup has already secured $15 million in a Series A funding round, which its founder, materials scientist Liangbing Hu, says will go toward the company's first factory. The whole thing came about in 2018, when Hu published a landmark research paper detailing how to "transform bulk natural wood directly into a high-performance structu ... Read full article.