Building Sustainability: The board that never felled a tree
In a factory in the UAE, pruned palm fronds that would once have been burned or buried are being transformed into something the construction industry has never seen before: a structural building material made entirely without cutting down a single tree. Every year, millions of fronds are pruned across the UAE to keep the country's 40 million palm trees healthy. Traditionally, the cuttings were…
In a factory in the UAE, discarded palm fronds are being repurposed into a groundbreaking building material: Palm Strand Board (PSB), a structural material made without cutting down a single tree. Each year, millions of fronds are pruned from the country's 40 million palm trees to maintain their health. Traditionally, these fronds were discarded by burning or burying, releasing greenhouse gases.
DesertBoard, a UAE manufacturer, has developed a circular economy product that transforms these waste products into a fire-rated, termite-resistant board. Abdul Khader Traboulsi, Area Manager at DesertBoard, states that this is the only board in the world that does not require cutting down a tree. The production process involves chipping, shredding, and washing the fronds before blending them with a non-formaldehyde adhesive and compressing the mixture into high-performance structural boards.
These boards can store up to 401kg of carbon per cubic meter and have been used in significant UAE projects, including Dubai Creek Harbour and the Peninsula development in Business Bay. Despite existing policies aimed at sustainability, Traboulsi acknowledges the need for better enforcement and enforcement of green building codes.
DesertBoard's product is not dependent on imports and contributes to the local supply chain, aligning with the UAE's Net Zero 2050 strategy and other green initiatives.
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