Sawdust, cellulose binders and beeswax combine into eco-friendly foam

Polystyrene—common in packing peanuts and box inserts—is manufactured from fossil fuels.

To develop a sustainable alternative, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials tested an unconventional starting material: sawdust.

Their prototype foams incorporated cellulose binders and other additives to form rigid or flexible materials, and some versions matched polystyrene's strength and impact resistance.

A simple beeswax coating made them water-resistant, producing biobased foams with potential for packaging and building materials. ...