What is the next Hungarian invention? Feather bricks?

MTI.hu has recently told about a new patent: a Hungarian company would like to produce façade materials and internal insulation using poultry feather. In general, feather is declared as waste, and thousands of tonnes of feather are thrown out. However, feather could be used as an environmentally friendly material in the construction industry. With feather, the range of natural building materials containing straw, loam, cane, and recently, hemp, would widen.

Calling a building material „eco” has more criteria. For example, it has to reduce the energy use of the building; it has to be sustainable, it has to be environmentally friendly and it must not be dangerous for human health, also, its production should not require much energy, and no by-products and waste should occur, MTI wrote.

According to MTI, Hungary adopted the technology of building hemp houses from Italy, but it has French origins. Their thermal insulation is much better than that of the loam houses. Feather could be the next break-through. 90% of tens of thousands of tonnes of feather in Hungary are burnt. This is not only expensive but it also damages the environment. However, thanks to a Hungarian patent, the dangerous waste can turn into environmentally friendly thermal and sound insulating building material.

During the production process, the left-over of the feathers is used: it is cleared, sterilized and draught at high temperature. No feather allergy occurs either, because feathers are covered from all sides, MTI told.

Ádám Bihari architect also told MTI that it was a great idea to use feathers this way, because it uses the by-products of other industries to create a new building material.

Copy editor: bm

Source: MTI.hu