Greentech Lead U.S: ChloroFill, a renewable,
sorghum-based building material company, has formed partnership with Chromatin,
an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum feedstocks for
bio-industrial processes, to harvest Chromatin sorghum for the production of
ChloroFill’s building products.
ChloroFill’s designer-friendly, cost-competitive panels
made with a formaldehyde-free binder contribute to sustainable building and to
healthy indoor environments free of pollutants. ChloroFill’s fiberboard panels
can be used in many of the same applications as bamboo plywood, exotic
hardwoods and other engineered wood panels.
Designer applications include counter tops, architectural
elements, wall and ceiling coverings, furniture, cabinetry, wainscoting, doors
and flooring. ChloroFill’s first commercial-scale manufacturing plant in
Nodaway County is slated to produce materials in early 2013.
Sorghum is a water and nutrient efficient crop that
yields large quantities of environmentally friendly biomass. It can be grown on
over 80 percent of the world’s agricultural land. ChloroFill will produce its
sorghum-based building panels in northwest Missouri, where the first Chromatin
Sorghum 90-acre trial crop was planted in June 2012 with the support of
Northwest Missouri State University. The Midwest is rich in agricultural
expertise making it an ideal region to grow sorghum. After only 5.5 inches of
rainfall, the crop grew nine feet in less than four months.
ChloroFill’s founder, CEO and president Michael Hurst,
said, “Partnering with Chromatin, who specializes in customizing sorghum
biomass, is important to advancing the quality of ChloroFill’s products and to
ensuring that we have a platform for future growth. Our goal is to provide a
formaldehyde-free, cost-competitive building panel that helps to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, deforestation, and health-risks
associated with traditional building materials.”
The first year’s crop was grown in conjunction with
Northwest Missouri State University. The Chromatin sorghum produced impressive
yields despite unusually low rainfall in the area.