Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2011 Africa Middle East

This materials development project succeeded in processing agricultural waste into low-cost construction panels bonded with tannin-based adhesive. Plant-based agricultural wastes from the cultivation of rice, maize and cassava crops provide natural fibers that are a sustainable resource for the production of building materials to achieve a reduction in construction costs, reducing dependence on imported, higher-cost alternatives.

The panels are an affordable building material for housing economically disadvantaged communities and help to improve rudimentary living conditions. Diverting crop byproducts from the waste stream produces positive environmental side effects since waste incineration and considerable air pollution are avoided. The building material provides a tangible contribution to reducing the estimated deficit of 17 million low-cost dwellings in Nigeria alone.

http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T1319/A11AMacNG.htm