Aerogel-Based Plasters and Energy Efficiency of Historic Buildings. Literature Review and Guidelines for Manufacturing Specimens Destined for Thermal Tests

Davide Del Curto,Valentina Cinieri

doi:10.3390/su12229457

Davide Del Curto, Valentina Cinieri

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229457

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Nov 13, 2020
Citations: 15	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Politecnico di Milano

Abstract

This paper presents a literature review about aerogel-based products for building, focusing on the plasters used within the architectural restoration sector. Aerogel has entered the construction field in the last two decades as a component of many insulation products, due to its high thermal performance. Aerogel-based plasters allow the matching of high thermal performance and limited thickness. This makes them suitable when retrofitting an existing building and also when restoring a heritage building. We analyze the results of recent research, focusing on the most commonly used methods for assessing the thermal performances and durability of aerogel-based plasters. As a result of this review, we propose a guideline for manufacturing samples destined for laboratory tests.

Highlights

Research on silica-aerogel insulating materials is part of the broader issue of environmental sustainability
This paper aims to collect an updated literature review on the aerogel-based products for the construction sector, focusing on plasters used in the architectural restoration sector
This paper concludes with the proposal of an experimental guideline aimed at evaluating the thermal behavior of an aerogel-based slaked lime plaster, and with instructions on how to prepare the samples

Summary

Introduction

Research on silica-aerogel insulating materials is part of the broader issue of environmental sustainability. The construction sector is responsible for 42% of the total energy consumed [2], and for the use of 50% of the natural resources extracted from the earth’s crust [3]. Following this path, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was developed for industrial production, which was based on the mantra “from cradle to grave”. Life Cycle Thinking means moving from processes considering energy efficiency and environmental sustainability during lifetime only, by using high-performance insulation products [6,7], to a wider assessment of sustainability throughout the entire production chain [8,9]. “from cradle to cradle” is the approach that rests on and goes beyond the concept of waste: what may be junk for one biological system is a raw material for another biological system (circular economy) [10]

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