A-FOR BioComposite Panels

A-FOR  (agri-forestry) biocomposite panels are environmentally sustainable, natural fibre-based fibreboard panels.

   

 

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To view the technical specifications of TTS’ A-FOR panels and Hemp Ceiling Tile,  please click here.

Historically, the most significant technical barrier to the development of green fibreboard has been the challenge of making natural fibres compatible with resin systems. Over nearly a decade and $3.5 million in internal investment in R&D, TTS’ has conducted extensive research into natural fibre properties that culminated in a unique natural fibres property database and has allowed us to develop a solution to this technical challenge.

The resulting A-FOR Panels are produced by combining agricultural fibre residuals with bark and other wood fibre residuals in precise ratios to create a fibre blend with chemical properties that are optimized for compatibility with resin systems (patent pending).

Applications of A-FOR Panels

A-FOR Panel products can be customized for interior applications or exterior applications. A-FOR Panels for interior applications are made with the addition of melamine fortified UF resin that meets Europe’s E1 Emissions standard for off-gassing of formaldehyde, the most strict standard for furniture off-gassing in the world. A-FOR Panels are an environmentally sustainable alternative to particleboard that meets or exceeds particleboard industry ANSI specifications. All of our interior A-FOR Panel products will be tailored to the needs and specifications of our clients and are offered in a variety of customized melamine finishes similar to conventional particleboard, for a wide range of cabinet and furniture applications. Applications include acoustic ceiling tiles, furniture, cabinets, countertops, door cores and underlayment.

A-FOR Panels for exterior applications are manufactured with phenolic resin, eco-acrylic resin or without any synthetic resin, requiring only the addition of a small quantity of additional lignin (a natural polymer found in all plants and trees). Applications include sheathing for TTS’ Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), as well as a range of exterior applications including roofing shingles and siding.

Our innovative production methods allow us to manufacture A-FOR panels from a broad range of natural fibre waste streams, including bark, harvesting ‘slash’, sawdust, cereal straws, flax shives, hemp hurds, and construction and municipal wood fibre waste. TTS is currently producing consistent, high-quality samples of A-FOR interior and exterior products on a small-scale line located at our lab in Edmonton, Alberta.

Advantages of TTS’ A-FOR Panels

Environmental

  • A-FOR Panels reduce waste, CO2 emissions, air pollution, and de-forestation by making use of a broad range of agricultural, forestry and municipal natural fibre residuals that are currently burned or consigned to landfills in place of white wood chips, the feedstock used to produce conventional particleboard.
  • TTS uses a unique application of its microwave technology to heat A-FOR Panels before pressing, reducing the duration of the press time by as much as 50%. This yields a large gain in energy efficiency, reducing GHG emissions associated with energy use.
  • TTS’ plants will be built at a smaller scale than conventional particleboard plants, and will be constructed closer to end product manufactures. This amounts to a significant reduction in GHG emissions and air pollution due to transportation.
  • The resin used in our interior A-FOR Panels is low-fuming and meets Europe’s E1 Emissions standard for formaldehyde off-gassing, which is the world’s most stringent standard for furniture off-gassing.
  • Our exterior A-FOR Panels are manufactured with no petroleum-based resin, requiring only the addition of a small quantity of lignin, a natural polymer found in all plants.

Performance Characteristics

  • A-FOR Panels have consistently excellent internal bond strength and other performance characteristics, and meet or exceed the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) requirements for commercial particleboard.
  • A-FOR Panels give off no disagreeable ‘barn-like’ odour.

For more information about TTS’ A-FOR panel products, please contact us.

Last Updated on Monday, 05 December 2011 18:12

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