LEEMA

Low Embodied Energy Advanced (Novel) Insulation Materials and Insulating Masonry Components for Energy Efficient Buildings

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'A review of the embodied energy values of the various building materials shows that the embodied energy of the most widely used insulation materials in construction applications is characterised by very high values. This mainly results either from the energy intensive conditions applied for the manufacturing of the mineral based insulation materials or from the high embodied energies of the oil-based raw materials used for the production of the organic based ones. Moreover, conventional insulating materials can suffer from various disadvantages including not stable thermal and acoustic performance overtime, combustibility, shrinkage and settling, and pollution of the indoor building environment. In this frame the objective of the project is the development of a new generation of inorganic insulation materials and building insulation masonry components, that will have 70 – 90% lower embodied energy, 25 - 30% lower unit cost, than the synthetic organic and mineral based ones, like EPS, XPS, Stone and Glass Wool, and at the same time they will not present their technical, health and/or environmental drawbacks. New formulations and products will be called “3I” materials, since they will be Inorganic, Insulating and Incombustible. This objective will be achieved through the development of innovative technological routes for the production of the 3I materials, combining: a) use of appropriate inert, natural alumino-silicate raw materials, originating from “zero-embodied energy” wastes of industrial mineral exploitation (i.e. perlite, bentonite, amorphous silica and other volcanic minerals) and other industrial wastes and by-products; b) application of novel low energy consuming synthesis processes based on inorganic polymerisation and thermal expansion that take advantage of the unique and favourable chemical and mineralogical composition of the above wastes; and c) addition of appropriate mineral by-products (fluxes) that easily react with the above wastes through highly exothermic reactions forming inert stable structures. The assessment of the environmental sustainability of each one of the new insulation components will be performed with life cycle assessment studies.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

EU-funded scientists are developing novel inorganic polymer materials suitable for insulating both new and retrofitted buildings.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The embodied energy of the most widely used insulation materials in construction applications is currently characterised by very high values. Moreover, they may be highly combustible, easily shrink and could contaminate the indoor building environment.

The EU-funded project http://www.leema.eu/ (LEEMA) is developing a new generation of inorganic, insulating and incombustible materials and masonry components. These include loose-filling materials (LFMs), foam boards, expanded perlite boards, polymer binders and polymer bricks. Additionally, the developed products will be inert and non-toxic, thus ensuring a clean indoor environment. Their recyclability will minimise their environmental impact.

For this purpose, scientists are using inert, natural aluminosilicate raw materials from 'zero-embodied energy' wastes of industrial mineral exploitation and other industrial wastes and by-products. Their unique and favourable chemical and mineralogical composition permits the application of novel low-energy consuming synthesis processes based on inorganic polymerisation and thermal expansion. By adding appropriate mineral by-products that easily react with the above wastes, inert stable structures can be formed.

Such non-energy intensive manufacturing processes and use of wastes as raw materials will decrease embodied energy at component level by at least 50 %. Furthermore, total costs are expected to decrease by 15 % compared to current solutions.

To date, scientists have identified and characterised the proper aluminosilicate waste material types. A detailed study of the inorganic polymerisation reaction chemistry has been performed, and the optimum process conditions have been identified for each material. Furthermore, various formulations for LFMs, polymer binders and foam boards have been developed.

The LFM pilot scale production is currently under construction. LFMs have been used for bulk insulation in cavity walls, expanded perlite replacement in formed products and bricks, exhibiting lower thermal conductivity.

Project activities are in line with the EU Directive on 'Energy Performance of Buildings'. Therefore, LEEMA paves the way to increase the number of buildings which not only fulfil current minimum energy performance requirements, but are also more energy efficient.