Life cycle analysis of a novel thermal insulator obtained from recycled glass waste

Abstract

This paper focused on the application of the Life Cycle Analysis methodology to a novel thermal insulator by means of comparison with traditional materials widely used in the building sector. This innovative insulating foam was produced from recycled glass powder and green-chemistry reagents via a freeze-drying process. The materials inventory for this insulator was built from primary laboratory data, while energy flows were estimated according to available secondary sources. Materials inventory, energy flow and emission data for traditional insulators were obtained and averaged from literature and relevant environmental product declarations. Global warming, acidification, eutrophication and abiotic resource depletion potentials were evaluated as environmental impact factors to assess the environmental performances of the innovative insulator respect to the available materials. The benefits of the novel material in terms of these indexes were then highlighted taking into account also different local energetic sources.