Wood-Based ‘Foam’ Tech Developed by UBC Researchers Draws Federal Capital

By Knowlton Thomas
Techcouver
January 20, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Feng Jiang

The Yinka Dene Economic Development Limited Partnership, or YLP, is partnering with the University of British Columbia’s Department of Wood Science to scale a technology dubbed DicinFoam. The “foam” is actually a biodegradable, fire-retardant material made from ligno-cellulosic nano-materials (“Dicin” translates to “wood” in the Wet’suwet’en language). Development of DicinFoam began when a project, “Developing Fire Retardant Thermal Insulating Materials from Lignocellulosic Nanomaterials for Building and Construction,” garnered sponsorship by the BC Ministry of Forests. This year, the now-patented technology is being scaled toward commercial applications. …Jiang’s team believes that it has developed a scalable technology for recyclable, binder-free micro-fibrillated lignocellulose foams with flame resistance, thermal insulation, and mechanical performance.

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