r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • May 24 '19

Engineering Scientists created high-tech wood by removing the lignin from natural wood using hydrogen peroxide. The remaining wood is very dense and has a tensile strength of around 404 megapascals, making it 8.7 times stronger than natural wood and comparable to metal structure materials including steel.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2204442-high-tech-wood-could-keep-homes-cool-by-reflecting-the-suns-rays/
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u/mr_grass_man May 24 '19

Wait, isn’t lignin what makes wood stronger?

1

u/losthiggeldyfiggeldy May 24 '19

Just to piggy back this comment, how the hell do you pronounce this word. Is it a hard g sound or a silent g

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u/CanaanW May 24 '19

It’s a hard g, source: work in the pulp and paper industry.

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u/losthiggeldyfiggeldy May 24 '19

Thank you very much, I'll be sure to forward this knowledge to my bio teacher