Environmental Impacts of Renewable Insulation Materials

Andreas Geß,Stefan Albrecht,Anna Tolsdorf,Manuel Lorenz

doi:10.3390/su13158505

Andreas Geß, Stefan Albrecht + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158505

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Abstract

According to the IEA Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2019, one of the main industry sectors causing environmental impacts is the construction sector. Hence, construction materials from renewable resources are expected to have a large potential to decrease these impacts. In this study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted for four different insulation materials from renewable feedstock: insulation made from pasture grass, seaweed, reed, and recycled jute fibres. Additionally, the effects on land use change were evaluated for pasture grass insulation using the LANCA® methodology. To put the LCA results in relation to those of non-renewable resources, a comparison of standardized LCA values for conventional insulation materials is presented. In general, the renewable insulation materials show fewer environmental impacts than their conventional counterparts. In particular, these materials have advantages regarding greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change. Of the analyzed materials, seaweed showed the overall lowest emissions. It can be concluded that insulation materials from non-mineral, non-fossil, and non-wooden resources are still fairly niche in terms of market share, but they have extraordinary potential in decreasing the environmental impacts of construction ventures.

Highlights

Energy demand and the related environmental impacts in the use phase of buildings are still of high relevance due to high heating demands [1]
The environmental impacts of four different kinds of insulation materials made from four different kinds of renewable resources were assessed; the source region of raw material is noted in brackets:
The insulation material made from meadow grass assessed in this study generally showed low impacts despite the energy demand of the production process

Summary

Introduction

Energy demand and the related environmental impacts in the use phase of buildings are still of high relevance due to high heating demands [1]. There still is a high potential for decreasing environmental impacts In this context, various insulation materials made from renewable raw materials have been added to the market. Various insulation materials made from renewable raw materials have been added to the market In addition to their fundamentally necessary high thermal conductivities and heat storage capacities, regenerative insulation materials contribute to the conservation of resources. This is because they store CO2 during their lifetime and afterwards potentially substitute fossil resources.

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