Cork: Taking Off In Unexpected Ways

As metal and plastic replacements for cork wine stoppers are starting to take off and the cork industry is starting to see marked revenue declines, researchers in Portugal are looking for new, innovative applications for their major export. Their answer is somewhat unexpected: aviation.
Cork is naturally light weight, porous and fire-retardant, as it acts as a tree’s first line of defense from forest fires; all of which makes it well suited for use in air planes. DynAero aircraft in Portugal’s central-south Alentejo region – the world’s main cork growing area – is looking to use the material in the fuselage, wings and flaps of light aircraft to replace the use of light and porous PVC. The partners on the project, titled Aerocork, state, “We know that after a few years PVC will no longer be used, certainly by us and most likely by others in the industry. It is a nightmare in terms of ecological aspects,” Sence said. “Our idea is to sell cork-carbon parts to other firms in the future.”
Beyond rejuvenating a major industry of Portugal that employs over 12,000 workers, exports over 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) a year in cork, and provides 157,000 tonnes of cork, just over half of the world’s total, the new application will help ensure the preservation of Portugal’s cork forests. Desertification in southern Europe is on the rise and the cork forests help significantly to mitigate those impacts. The potential loss of the sustainably maintained forests if not protected by industrial use could have serious consequences.
In addition to alternative uses, researchers are also looking at protecting their cork asset through genetic engineering. As desertification becomes more significant, biologists are studying the cork oak genome to select for individuals more likely to be able to withstand drought. The normal genetic selection process is difficult to apply to cork oaks since it takes 40 years for a tree to be mature enough to be harvested; too long for a geneticist to observe its performance in droughts. By looking to the genetic structure of an individual tree, scientists can select and breed trees from an early point to grow a hardier crop.
Via Reuters.
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