Sustainable Thermal Insulation Derived from Recycled Textile Waste

Abstract

The textile industry is one of the oldest industries and the third most important industry branch in Macedonia. It has had a steady increase in production over the years. Growing production line proportionally generates textile waste. Although it is terminologically categorized as waste, textile waste can be a valuable resource and is one of the textile industry’s main challenges. Textile waste, appropriately treated with the possibilities offered by the recycling process or used as a clean waste, can find multi-faced application in different construction areas. This paper covers research that examines the possibilities of applying textile waste in the field of thermal insulations in buildings. The focus is on developing thermal insulation solutions applied in sustainable and ecologic buildings. Applied thermal insulation has a primary impact on reducing electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with indoor air conditioning. That would mean that buildings incorporating appropriate thermal insulation offer greater comfort, directly increasing the quality of life. This is an additional economic-environmental dimension. According to the experimental testing, the thermal conductivity coefficient of the textile waste is obtained at 0.039 W/m·K. Its value defines a thermal insulation material suitable for the purpose and has approximate values to the other materials usually used for thermal insulation in buildings. Implementing a product made of textile waste with appropriate performance would bring economic benefits to the industry and open new job opportunities.