Researchers turn sawdust into fire-resistant building panels | Construction Dive

An article from Researchers turn sawdust into fire-resistant building panels If commercialized, the panels could turn waste products from timber and water treatment into a sustainable construction material. Published April 3, 2026 Robert Freedman Lead Editor Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google A panel board made from compressed sawdust mixed with struvite. "Compressed sawdust" by Dan Vivas Glaser is licensed under CC BY 4.0 First published on Researchers have found a way to turn sawdust into a durable and sustainable interior wall panel, but whether it gets commercialized as a product depends on how cost-effectively manufacturers can access a mineral that’s key to the production process. The key ingredient is struvite, a crystalline ammonium magnesium phosphate that builds up in water treatment plant pipes.  In pipes, the mineral is a problem. It creates clogs that can lead to backups. But because it has fire-resistant properties, it can have utility in building applications, including panel boards, researchers at the Swiss university ETH Zurich say in an article they published on the institution’s website.  “The struvite sawdust panels essentially protect themselves,” says Ronny Kürsteiner, a doctoral candidate and research assistant at the university, who developed the process as part of his doctoral thesis.  “Struvite is not only non-combustible, it also helps to actively increase fire resistance,” the article says. “When hea...