Biobased Composites

A research group at Stanford University is developing synthetic wood that they expect will be sturdy enough to build a house frame and pliable enough to carve. The team of engineers says the faux timber (bacteria-derived biodegradable plastic resin bound to hemp fibers) could not only replace dozens of construction materials, it decomposes in a landfill after a few weeks, emitting methane that can be used to make more synthetic wood.
stanford.edu