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Biobased benches are springing up in the Netherlands

Benches made of sustainable miscanthus concrete will appear at some of our customers this week. Why? This is Sustainability Week. The benches are biobased and we like to brighten up our environment.

Benches made of miscanthus concrete. It was one of the first biobased concrete applications we made in partnership with Schiphol Airport, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, the Miscanthus Group, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, TheSolidGrounds and Hempflax. At the time, as one of the first, we succeeded in making solid bio-concrete using elephant grass as the main ingredient. The benches were placed on Schiphol’s premises in the spring of 2016. 

Continued Development

This street furniture was the first step in a sustainable solution for the long term. The process we use to manufacture bio-composite and bio-concrete was further developed and optimised over the past few years. We significantly expanded the number of applications. One of the often used applications is the Green Silence Wall that protects the environment from noise and is made of miscanthus. This sustainable noise screen is low-maintenance and has a natural appearance. 

Environmental and Other Benefits

Elephant grass is a variety of miscanthus grass. It grows fast, up to four metres high, and requires little maintenance. Over a period of twenty years, the crop yields an average harvest of approximately twenty tonnes per hectare. The fibres are a perfect filler for bio-concrete. During its growth, elephant grass absorbs four times as much CO2 as an equivalent forest area. Furthermore, concrete made with elephant grass is lighter than normal which decreases the need of heavy equipment, and the fibres create a nice effect in the concrete. Moreover, the material perfectly lends itself to reue.

Green Silence Wall

Strukton's biobased and circular Green Silence Wall shields the environment from noise.

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