Really exciting to see techniques like this growing in popularity. Flaxseed has been used by woodworkers forever, and the supply chains / manufacturing complexity are bound to be drastically shorter and simpler than that of concrete.<p>This kind of technology is really important for africa where access to the developed-world uber-techs is prohibitively high. Concrete in this example, or even things like foam insulating panels and other construction materials. Concrete is really amazing stuff and I don't want to downplay its usefulness but it's insanely energy intensive to produce [0][1]<p>When initial capital costs are high, either only the rich/elite get access to basic technology, or the national governments have to take out loans from the IMF and other lending institutions, which can indebt poor citizens of developing countries for generations.<p>[0] US Gov report breaking down energy consumption by manufacturing sector, showing concrete at the top. <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=11911" rel="nofollow">https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=11911</a><p>[1] Explanation of why exactly concrete/cement production is so energy intensive.
<a href="https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2012/05/09/emissions-from-the-cement-industry/" rel="nofollow">https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2012/05/09/emissions-from-...</a>
Cool! My first thought is barns; if you pour this over a fine limestone gravel, seems to me you should get an excellent surface for keeping hooved animals in trim without a lot of manual work.<p>I also wonder how bad the fumes are, and for how long. I've done epoxy floor coatings and that stuff is <i>nasty</i> for several days. Worth it though: after years of harsh treatment it looks just as bland and crappy as the day it was laid down.