Wood wool – Wikipedia

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The term wood wool (also called wooden straw or wooden frizzing ” wood wool ou excelsior “In English) is used for long wood chips with a straw appearance, but seems to be more and more commonly applied to the wooden fiber in panels (” Woodfiber Boards “in English).

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Wood wool is a material present in the form of regular and fine filaments, and up to 500 mm in length, elastic, cowards, without wood projections and almost without dust. The filaments are made from rocked and dried tree trunks. Wooden wool is used as filling, padding, insulation and filtering material in many sectors for solutions and demanding products, as well as in the hygiene branch and to wrap products and sensitive foods .

The terms “wood wool” or “wooden frizzle” do not refer to the same product as the ” Wood fiber ” . In the United States in the 1970s, the name “Wood Wool” only corresponded to a small quantity of the production of Excelsior. [ first ] Indeed, only fine parts and so -called better quality [ 2 ] were considered wooden wool. The Excelsior had obtained a federal specification in 1973, suppressed in 1991, describing the appellations of this material according to its thickness and the width of its fibers. Today the name Wood Wool In English “Wood Wool” corresponds to wood frying and is referenced under number 4405.00.00 [ first ] According to the World Customs Organization for the sale of this international material from the United States.

Wooden wool has been produced since around 1840 by a mechanical process developed in the United States, from conifers or well-offed hardwood. In North America, it is called “Wood Wool” or ” excelsior “, a term derived from the Latin ash name, Higher ash [ 3 ] .

Use today covers many fields: animal hygiene (cleaning of the pis, litter for livestock or for animal animals in cage), horticulture and gardening, protection against erosion (wooden wool carpet), Grabs, winter plant protection, fire lighter, packaging. Originally, wood wool was used for the dressing of injuries and for hygiene items. Even the first female periodic tampons were made of wood wool, replaced in the middle of the last century by synthetic materials [ 3 ] .

Mulch [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Wood wool is used by delicate fruits and vegetable producers. In the cultivation of strawberries, for example, it prevents the fruits from dirtying earth, protects them from snails, mold and prevents the growth of weeds. Thanks to the choice of wood used, we obtain for this product a particularly high content of essential oils, tannins and fibers, as many ingredients that are repugnant to gastropods.

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Wooden woolen carpets are stuck assemblies of wood wool of different essences and jute, or biodegradable polypropylene. Thanks to their good mechanical properties and their biodegradability, they are suitable for the protection of the soil and the grassing of bare surfaces. By playing on the manufacturing formula, we can precisely determine the duration of the rotting process. Beech plays a central role in these formulas. Its possibilities of use are currently the subject of a Swiss research project supported at the federal level by the Fund for Forest Research. These wooden woolen carpets should open a new market for native beech and alleviate the flow problems from which this essence suffers. With climate change and the increase in the frequency of heavy rain episodes, protection against erosion is an application with high potential. Another wooden wool market lies in the coating of forest roads. A homecoming, in a way, for this product from forest wood.

Packaging [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Wood wool also experiences a renewed interest as a packaging material, especially where the ecological requirements are high: after use, it can be used without problem as wood-energy or compost. Wood wool is particularly appreciated for the packaging of high emotional value products, such as great wines and spirits, dried meat, salami, “gourmet baskets” or fine glassware. However, so -called logistical wood wool only represents around 5% of Swiss Lindner sales.

Fire starter [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

With the tightening of environmental standards on heaters, old newspapers to start fire have had their time, when they are not completely prohibited. Natural wood wool, soaked in food paraffin, thus gains market share as a light-fire.

Padding [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

An formerly important area of ​​use of wood wool, namely bedding and the padding of furniture, has been reinvested since 2010 as a niche product.

Acoustic panels [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Rigid agglomerated wood wool panels with a hydraulic binder (cement) are sold under the trade names of ” Fibralith “by Knauf or by the brand” Heraklith “. Not to be confused with the wood fiber panels

  1. a et b (in) 4405.00.00 – Wood wool (excelsior); wood flour – United States International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule » , on www.faqs.org (consulted the )
  2. (in) W. f Gericke, Soilless Gardening , Read Books, , 204 p. (ISBN  978-1-4067-7064-3 ) , p. 38
  3. a et b Eduard J. Belser, Belser, E.J. (2013): countless applications. Wood wool – a natural and versatile product. The forest 66, 2: 19-21. » , (consulted the )

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