Nativity figurines made of liquid wood (Credit: Copyright Tecnaro GmbH)When it comes to toys, it is vital that chldrens toys do not release any softeners or heavy metals that could endanger the human body due to wear and tear or exposure to the elements.
“One milestone in this respect has been achieved in certificate EN 71 (Part 3) being awarded under the food-grade test. This so-called 'sucking test' for children's toys showed ARBOFORM® not only to be below the exposure limits, but to be even below the detection limits of all the hazardous substances it was tested for.”
The following is an except taken from msnbc.com where columist Bryn Nelson spoke to Norbert Eisenreich, a senior researcher and deputy of the directors at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology in Pfinztal, Germany about the creation of Arboform in relation to childrens toys and the 'nativity scene':
To make the material more toy-friendly, researchers dramatically reduced the high sulfur content typically associated with the separation of lignin from wood’s other fibers. Eisenreich said a range of processes are widely available for separating lignins without the need for sulfur chemicals.
The institute’s solution, he said, was to use high-pressure hydrolysis (with nothing more than water, high temperature and high pressure) to yield water insoluble lignin. The resulting material maintains its stability even if exposed to water or saliva.
The Arboform material also can be broken into pieces and recycled as a filler. Though it can’t be re-melted, he said, it can be burned just like wood.
http://theinquisition.eu/wordpress/2009/01/arborform/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202115326.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28283260/
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