Prospects for using plant-based biomass in the construction of bio-based houses

Francesco Pancaldi¹Martien van den Oever¹Rommie van der Weide¹Sven van Baren¹Sanabel Abdulbawab²Sabine van Rooij¹Michael van Buuren¹Marcel van der Voort¹Arjen van Kampen¹Luisa M Trindade^1,3*

• ¹Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
• ²Hogskolan i Boras Akademin for textil teknik och ekonomi, Borås, Sweden
• ³Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

The construction industry is a major contributor to climate change, due to the extensive use of non-renewable materials, such as concrete and steel. Bio-based materials manufactured from diverse plant biomass sources – mainly wood, lignocellulosic biomass, and plant fibers – offer sustainable alternatives, potentially transforming buildings into net carbon sinks. However, the establishment of effective value chains for the provision and deployment of biomass in "largely bio-based" houses (i.e. houses with main elements made up of bio-based materials) is still far from being reached. This depends largely on the level of optimisation of bio-based vs conventional construction materials. In this context, this opinion paper explores the feasibility of building "largely bio-based" houses by discussing both the availability and the diverse functional roles that different biomass types from diverse plant species can have in construction applications. Moreover, the article highlights current research challenges in the supply of high-quality biomass for "bio-based houses". Finally, it discusses how the effective integration of plant science, material engineering, as well as environmental and economic research in trans-disciplinary research efforts is key to set up operational and self-standing bio-based construction value chains.