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S-based Corn Board Manufacturing Inc. (CBMI) will utilise a patented CornBoard corn-based structural composite technology to produce board for building houses and furniture. According to CBMI, just 2 acres of leftover corn stover biomass would be able to produce enough CornBoard wood composite to build a two storey house!

CornBoard was initially developed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign inventors Dr Nancy Sottos, Dr Scott White and Dr Thomas Mackin.

CornBoard is a version of wood composite board that uses corn stover remaining in the field after corn is harvested. The structural composite is prepared by mixing the fibrous corn component with a polymer matrix, laminating the mixture and applying heat and pressure.

In contrast to traditional particle board, plywood, or medium-density fiberboard, CornBoard developed at CBMI will be repurposing an underutilised biomass material. For every acre of corn grown, (over 86 million acres are grown annually in the US), over 4,000 pounds of corn stover is left in the field. Appropriating this biomass material into new and innovative products is an efficient and environmentally conscious means of stewardship.

CBMI uses a non-toxic resin binder in CornBoard production. This method is a safer and more environmentally conscious choice than a traditional formaldehyde-base binder.