This article was taken from the October 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.

Teak and mahogany are pricey woods -- particularly for the environment. So Norwegian company Kebony is offering a green alternative -- by transforming abundant softwoods such as pine and maple into hardwoods using biowaste. The patented process, "Kebonisation", gives softwoods the durability, stability and hardness of hardwoods.

Based on the research of Canadian scientist Marc Schneider, Kebonisation involves treating softwood timber with furfuryl alcohol, a by-product of sugarcane production.


The alcohol and wood are pressurised in a vat then heated to 110-120C, which forces the alcohol to fuse into the wood's structure. This strengthens the wood and locks in CO<sub>2</sub>. "The CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from our maple product are less than ten per cent of Burmese teak's," says Jan Nielsen, Kebony's head of marketing.

Founded in 2007, Kebony sells products for between £32 and £80 per square metre, and expects to make in excess of £10 million in sales this year. Its wood has been used for a products including architect StokkeAustad's cantilevered benches, Fiskars' kitchen-knife handles and the tunnel structures that make up the KREOD pavilion, an Olympic exhibition structure near The O2. The world's going soft.

kebony.com