Abstract
Envelope insulation is a relevant technical solution to cut energy consumption and reduce environmental impacts in buildings. Insulation Cork Boards (ICB) are a natural thermal insulation material whose production promotes the recycling of agricultural waste. The aim of this paper is to determine and evaluate the environmental impacts of the production, use, and end-of-life processing of ICB. A “cradle-to-cradle” environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed according to International LCA standards and the European standards on the environmental evaluation of buildings. These results were based on site-specific data and resulted from a consistent methodology, fully described in the paper for each life cycle stage: Cork oak tree growth, ICB production, and end-of-life processing-modeling of the carbon flows (i.e., uptakes and emissions), including sensitivity analysis of this procedure; at the production stage—the modeling of energy processes and a sensitivity analysis of the allocation procedures; during building operation—the expected service life of ICB; an analysis concerning the need to consider the thermal diffusivity of ICB in the comparison of the performance of insulation materials. This paper presents the up-to-date “cradle-to-cradle” environmental performance of ICB for the environmental categories and life-cycle stages defined in European standards.
Highlights
The consumption of energy in the world today contributes to pollution, environmental degradation, and global greenhouse emissions
The life cycle assessment (LCA) approach used followed European standards developed under CEN/TC 350 [14,15], international standards on LCA [16,17], and some methodological procedures described in detail
The goal of the current LCA study is to outline the environmental profile of Insulation Cork Boards (ICB) manufactured in Portugal using site-specific data, considering distinct methodology for biogenic CO2 -accounting and disseminating the results, in the scientific community involved in the development of insulation materials
Summary
The consumption of energy in the world today contributes to pollution, environmental degradation, and global greenhouse emissions. In the European Union (EU), the building sector is responsible for over 40% of overall energy consumption, making a significant contribution to CO2 emissions [1,2,3]. Thermal insulation materials have an important role, and their use is a logical first step to reduce the energy required to keep a good interior temperature, and achieve energy efficiency [4] and reduce the energy, environmental, and economic impact of buildings [5]. An interdisciplinary research project was carried out to provide the environmental life cycle assessment of the production of the main thermal insulation materials of buildings, and their corresponding comparison [5]. Portugal is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cork-based materials, including this cellular “organic natural”
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
