Thermal insulation for buildings: life cycle of the polyurethane foam

One of the elements that a considerable impact on the evaluations of sustainability of a building is definitely the thermal insulation that can reduce and even halve the running costs of the building itself. In the category of the insulating polyurethane industry has decided to inform the market of qualitative data

and numbers of its environmental impacts. In 2005, the polyurethane panels have obtained a class of eco-efficiency according to the methodology BRE (Building Research Establishment). These studies cover the entire production process characterized by:

- Production of raw materials;

- Transformation process;

- Production of energy carriers;

- Transportation to the place of installation.

The evaluation of these parameters it was possible to obtain the environmental impact as primary energy consumption.

The lightness, the smaller volumes used and the excellent performance of the polyurethane insulating determine a limited impact of the insulating layer, comparable, if not sometimes better than that of materials traditionally considered bioecologici. Therefore, the polyurethane foam insulation allows, with a consumption of limited resources, to save a significant amount of heating dienergia. Just think of the isolation of coverage in Milan, where the consumption of resources required for the production of the polyurethane is depreciated in the first year of operation of the heating system which only resulted in a net energy gain of 7169 MJ and a saving of CO2 emissions equal to 372 Kg

A significant expense in terms of environmental impact comes from the production of waste from construction and demolition. The objective of sustainable building is the reduction of waste from these phases alone account for 25% by weight of the total waste produced at European level. In choosing then priority must be given the same energy performance materials that last over time and that possess mass contained. Even in this case the rigid polyurethane foam proves to be a virtuous material being characterized by a mass of between 30 and 40 kg / mc. The limited mass, associated with the high insulating performance, make the use of the polyurethane foam is the solution of thermal insulation is less heavy than less cumbersome.

Last parameter to consider in our assessments of sustainability is durability: the materials that remain unaltered over time their function and efficiency and require no maintenance or replacements help to reduce the production of waste itself.

The rigid polyurethane foam is a thermosetting plastic material, stable in a wide range of temperatures, insensitive to moisture and unaffected by most common chemical agents, thus guarantees excellent performance and durability that can therefore exceed the lifetime of the buildings in which it is inserted. For this reason, if the application methods did not result in an indissoluble bond between the polyurethane and other building materials, insulation product recovered can be reused with the same functions in other applications. Is preferred to this end the mechanical fixing with bolts rather than the use of adhesives.

It is clear that sustainability should accompany the entire design process: the orientation and positioning of the building, the location choices of environments, the technology choices for energy production, choice of materials for each component run-up to the understanding of the life of that individual element and the consequences that entails his choice.

The use of polyurethane foam seems to respond well to the intentions of the European Community for better waste policy and these studies to assess, contrary to what has been done so far, the environmental impacts of the entire life cycle of products from the production, to the stage operation to decommissioning.

30/03/2011

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Translated via software

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Source:

Italian version of CercaGeometra.it