Hardwood Waste in New Consumer Heat Source

St. Louis, MO, Feb. 16, 2011 -- Hardwood flooring manufacturers have found a way to make their waste materials such as chips and sawdust into a heating source for consumers.

The manufacturers, who have long used the material to fire boilers and provide other kinds of heat in their plants, have created wood bricks.

The bricks are made using wood waste that is highly compressed using no glue or other additives to bind the material together, according to the National Wood Flooring Association.

NWFA said the bricks are lightweight, store easily, and do not attract bugs or other pests. In addition, they burn hotter, cleaner, and longer than traditional fire wood.

Wood bricks also are more dense than traditional fire wood, NWFA said. A 4-foot by 4-foot by 3-foot stack of wood bricks has the same heating capacity as a 4-foot by 4-foot by 8-foot cord of firewood.