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Progress in insulation

Above all, the glue was previously a problem for the recycling of thermal insulation composite systems. Two innovations are changing that now - with very different approaches.

Progress in insulation

In the sixties of the last century, the first became insulation materials from expanded Polystyrene (EPS) installed. First-generation thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) are now in the process of being in need of renovation. But what to do with discarded insulation boards? Discarded EPS thermal insulation systems have either been burned or dumped. Recycling was not possible until now. But that is just about to change: in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, a pilot plant is being built for the recycling of polystyrene insulation materials. With a capacity of 3.000 tons per year, future polystyrene insulation can be converted into a high quality polystyrene recyclate. Recyclate is used as a raw material for new insulating materials. The pilot plant is scheduled to go into operation by the latest 2019.

"Everything stays in the flow"

The plant is being implemented by the PolyStyreneLoop initiative (PS Loop Initiative) with financial support from the European Commission. In this initiative, 55 companies from 13 countries have organized themselves in the form of a cooperative under Dutch law. Including the Austrian quality group for thermal insulation systems (QG WDS) and the manufacturer Austrotherm, Clemens Hecht, spokesman of the QG WDS: "The initiative is incredibly important because it closes the last part of the circle of the circular economy! Everything stays in the river, nothing is lost. "

In cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute IVV, CreaCycle GmbH developed the CreaSolv process, which is used in Terneuzen. The underlying principle is a "selective extraction". In the patented process, impurities and pollutants are separated by special cleaning processes. According to the developer, the special potential of the process lies in the purification of the material at the molecular level. Quality-affecting impurities (such as glue) are thereby removed gently and while preserving the polymer properties. "The recycled plastics from contaminated mixtures or material composites exhibit virgin material properties," writes the Fraunhofer Institute in a description of CreaSolv®. It can also mean the now classified as toxic fire retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and reused as bromine. Although HBCD is no longer used since 2015, it still exists in the old stock. Austrotherm Managing Director Gerald Prinzhorn: "For the ETICS, demolition and recycling is a not insignificant topic. The insulating material has the largest share of the system and must therefore be recyclable to 100 percent. The product sold and taken back can be used for new products after the mentioned process again 1: 1. "

Construction industry holds a lot of potential

In the interest of sustainability, however, there are also other alternatives to common thermal insulation composite systems: A façade insulation system completely free of glue that can be recycled in its main components was developed by the manufacturer Sto in cooperation with Graz University of Technology. When dismantling the system, the system components can be separated again sorted and recycled. Because the ingredients are climbed instead of glued. "This technology makes our new façade insulation system StoSystain-R largely recyclable and recyclable in its main components," says Walter Wiedenbauer, Managing Director of Sto. "This is a breakthrough in sustainability that may even revolutionize the industry."

For Greta Sparer, spokeswoman for RepaNet - Re-Use & Repair Network Austria, such innovations are welcome, but not far-reaching enough: “RepaNet generally welcomes innovative approaches for the circular economy. In the construction industry in particular, there is still a lot of potential here and the project of facade insulation without adhesive and with better separability and recyclability is a positive development from the current point of view. The next step should be that insulation elements can be reused as a whole, because some of the resources are always lost when recycling. "

Photo / Video: Shutterstock.

Written by Karin Bornett

Freelance journalist and blogger in the Community option. Technology-loving Labrador smoking with a passion for village idyll and a soft spot for urban culture.
www.karinbornett.at

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