El wooden knife It comes to surprise us all. We are talking about an invention capable of forever changing the gastronomic landscape as we knew it. What are the advantages it offers? Because is more sustainable financing model being made of wood? It sounds complicated but if you continue reading you will see that it is not so much.
In a blacksmith's house ... How is it possible that some researchers from the University of Maryland have made a wooden knife so sharp and tough? The figures are scary, since this wood is 23 times harder than the traditional one. It is ideal for eating meat due to its excellent characteristics. The XNUMXPS of resistant and sharp that one of steel! We are facing a very interesting alternative to the use of materials such as this metal or ceramic.
But how is it possible?
We can summarize very briefly that scientists discarded the most vulnerable parts of wood. However, they left intact their «skeleton»Of cellulose. It is the main component of wood and is very resistant due to its density. Wood is made up of a maximum of 50% cellulose and researchers already know how to play with this. The process has two stages.
The first consists of a partial delignification of the wood in which a substance called lignin. So it becomes soft and flexible. Instead, the second part is a hot pressing in which pressure is applied to the wood. All this while being heated to a hundred degrees in a chemical bath. The process remove the water y increases its density. Finally, the wood is processed and carved into the shape of the knife. After that, it is coated with mineral oil to extend its useful life. This prevents the cellulose from absorbing water.
Why is this wooden knife interesting?
It is not the same to heat a material to One hundred degrees that 1.200, as is the case with the ceramics. Without a doubt, an advantage that the wooden knife offers is energy efficiency. It takes fewer resources to make one than to make one from another material. It is likely that soon we will find these kitchen utensils more and more in our stores. They are as sharp as the best of steel y ceramics but more ecological. Will wood replace metal in the rest of cutlery?
