FibreWERKS
Natural Fiber building products and Manufacturing Technology
FibreWerks is developing next-generation, low-carbon, natural fiber composites manufacturing technologies and products for construction. We reduce the immediate environmental impact of reinforcement production and extend the durability and useful life of concrete.
Our Technologies
FibreWerks is developing multiple, complimenting natural fiber composite technologies aimed at improving the service life of cementitious building materials, such as concrete. The first is biocomposite reinforcing made from natural fibers and thermoplastic. This low-carbon, non-corroding reinforcing technology can significantly extend the service life of reinforced concrete, thereby greatly reducing material consumption of high-carbon cement or scarce structural grade sand. The second technology is the next generation of natural fiber decortication that significantly improves the mechanical properties of industrial fibers through an automated peeling process.
Natural Fiber Reinforcing
Natural Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic (NFRT) composite rebar used for reinforced concrete, aims to achieve the same mechanical and durability performance by weight as stainless steel or FRP, but at a lower price point using renewable and recycled materials, and with streamlined logistics through on-site rebar fabrication and automated bending to designer specifications. Furthermore, this rebar will require less embodied energy to produce, thereby lowering the total environmental impact of reinforced concrete.
Peeling Decortication
An automated decortication process that mimics the manual peeling of fiber bark, in ribbon form, from the woody inner core of farm-grown hemp or flax stalks. Our early-stage, patent-pending process, called a ‘peeling decorticator’ presents a radical departure from the current decortication approaches, as it produces hitherto unrealizable, high-quality, undamaged fibers for advanced biocomposite applications.