Passive climate regulation with transpiring wood for buildings with increased energy efficiency. Issue 1 (21st November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ding, Yong; Dreimol, Christopher H.; Zboray, Robert; Tu, Kunkun; Stucki, Sandro; Keplinger, Tobias; Panzarasa, Guido; Burgert, Ingo
• Is Part Of: Materials horizons. Volume 10:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 257
• Page End: 267
• Publication Date: 2022-11-21
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d2mh01016j
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2051-6347

Abstract

Abstract : The transpiring wood is able to self-regulate indoor climate resulting in improved living comfort and substantial energy savings. The material sources and the fabrication process of transpiring wood also meet sustainability criteria. Abstract : Buildings are significant end-users of global energy. About 20% of the energy consumption worldwide is used for maintaining a comfortable indoor climate. Therefore, passive systems for indoor temperature and humidity regulation that can respond to environmental changes are very promising to reduce buildings' energy consumption. We developed a process to improve the responsiveness of wood to humidity changes by laser-drilling microscopic holes and incorporating a hygroscopic salt (calcium chloride). The resulting "transpiring wood" displays superior water adsorption capacity and high moisture exchange rate, allowing regulation of humidity and temperature by the exchange of moisture with the surrounding air. We proved that the hygrothermal performance of transpiring wood can be used to regulate indoor climate, with associated energy savings, for various climate types, thus favoring its application in the building sector. The reduction of temperature fluctuations, thanks to the buffering of temperature peaks, can lead to an indirect energy saving of about 10% for cooling and between 4–27% for heating depending on the climate. Furthermore, our transpiring wood meets different sustainability criteria, from raw materials to the fabrication process, resulting in a product with a low overall environmental impact and that is easy to recycle.