Emilia Larsson, Rauni Seppänen and Michael Lecourt
Holmen and FCBA
Different types of insulation materials
– Introduction
Contents
Background
Short Market Survey
Current competition to cellulose foam
Correlation between cost, performance and
market share
Market driver
French market
Future market trends
Insulation materials
Comparison
Advantages with existing cellulose insulation
materials
Biobased materials used in isolation
Cellulose foam
Manufacturers
WoTIM-project
(WoTIM = Wood-based Thermal Isolation
Material)
• In the project, superior foamy cellulose based
insulation materials are developed.
• The target is that the performance of the novel
cellulosic insulation materials are at comparable
level with the materials made of polyurethane
foams.
Short market survey
Current competition
On the market there is almost no reference
of cellulosic foam products except one in
Korea and Japan.
That Cellulose foam board is made from
paper pellets and polypropylene,
foamed with steam. The foam board is
an environmentally-friendly insulation
because gases such as pentane or
HCFC are not used in the manufacturing
process.
More about the product later.
Jae-Sik Kang, Gyeong-Seok Choi, Young-Cheol Kwon, An Innovative Foam Insulation Produced from Cellulose
The European market for insulation 2012
The total market was
approximately 5,6
million tonnes 2012
(192,653,100 m³)
By 2017, the
demand is
estimated to 6,3
million tonnes
2,2% year-on-year
growth
Estimated value 2012
was €9,600 million
Source: IAL Consultants, The European market for thermal insulation products
Insulation performance (Cost)
Insulation performance (Cost)
Correlation between cost, performance and
market share
Superinsulation
Conventional insulation
materials
Low-cost products
Market share
Source: Cuce E, Cuce P M, Wood C J and Riffat S B, A state-of-the-art review on high performance window
technologies, Appl. Therm. Eng. 2013.
The EU Directive of energy efficiency
is a market driver
Europe’s recent economic crisis put much of the construction
sectors and insulation business on halt
EU Directives of energy efficiency has boost the insulation market
Also increasing insulation thickness requirements
Materials with enhanced fire properties are attractive
The mineral fibres are better positioned in this sense as they
have ”natural” fire protection characteristics and are very
well-established in the European market (57% of the total
market)
Some countries are still much relying in the less expensive
prices of expanded polystyrene insulation systems despite
their questioned fire behaviour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XERoufqhMzU&feature=youtu.
be
The French market
Michael Lecourt, FCBA
Insulation materials based on bio resources are very popular.
Recently, some awards were given to cellulose based
insulation at Trophées "Eco-innovez en Bourgogne"
IDEM and GROUPE ID’EES Services has developed
recycled solutions.
Some difficulties in these products
Difficulties in implementing biosources based products into
renovation or material building, especially in large cities.
Productions are locals, limited to areas where wood or
other materials such as hemps, straw, miscanthus,
animal wools are produced. Indeed, increasing distances
rise carbon footprint.
Improving production methods, reducing costs and limiting the
use of adjuvants, are key issues for developing biobased
insulation materials. However, markets are local and needs
to be enlarged for economic viability.
Future market trends
Conventional insulation materials have the largest market
potential since they offer the best performance per unit cost.
However, it is estimated for the near future that their cost will
slightly increase and market share will reduce.
Superinsulation is quite important in space saving and it’s a
more advanced thermal insulation
Cellulose could take market shares from the dominating
mineral wool as consumers become more open to “new”
material and understand the additional benefits such as
soundproofing, environmental and health safety
(comparison of today existing cellulose material and not
foam cellulose insulation)
Source: Cuce et al, Toward aerogel based thermal superinsulation in buildings: A comprehensive review, Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews 34 (2014), 273-299.
Insulation materials
Thermal insulation materials
Inorganic Materials
Foamy
- Foam glass
Fibrous
- Glass wool
- Stone wool
Organic Materials
Foamy
- Expanded polystyrene
- Extruded polystrene
- Polyurethane foam
Combined Materials
- Siliconed calcium
- Gypsum foam
- Wood wool
Foamy expanded
- Cork
- Melamine foam
- Phenol foam
Fibrous
- Sheep wool
- Cotton wool
- Coconut fibres
- Cellulose
The five most common types of insulation materials are marked in red.
Novel Materials
- Vacuum insulation panels
- Vacuum glazing (VG)
- Aerogels
- Etc.
Comparison
- Glass wool (glass fiber) is cheap, but requires careful
handling.
- Stone wool (mineral wool) is effective, but not fire resistant.
- Cellulose is fire resistant, eco-friendly, and effective, but hard
to apply.
- Polyurethane (PU) is an all around good insulation product,
though not particularly eco-friendly.
- Polystyrene is a diverse insulation material, but its safety is
debated.
- Aerogel is more expensive, but definitely the best type of
insulation
http://www.thermaxxjackets.com/5-most-common-thermal-insulation-materials/
Thermal conductivity of thermal insulation materials
Insulation product
Chemical composition
λ (W/m K)
Mineral wool
Inorganic oxides
0.034–0.045
Glass wool
Silicon dioxide
0.031–0.043
Foam glass
Silicon dioxide
0.038–0.050
Expanded polystyrene (EPS)
Oil-based polymer foam
0.029–0.055
Extruded polystyrene (XPS)
Oil-based polymer foam
0.029–0.048
Phenolic resin foam
Oil-based polymer foam
0.021–0.025
Polyurethane foam
Oil-based polymer foam
0.020–0.029
Silica aerogels
SiO2 based aerogel
0.012–0.020
Organic aerogels
Aerogels derived from organic
compounds, e.g. cellulose
0.012–0.020
Vacuum insulation panels (VIP)
Silica core sealed and
evacuated in laminate foil
0.003–0.011
Vacuum glazing (VG)
Double glazing unit with
evacuated space and pillars
0.003–0.008
Aegerter M A, Leventis N, Koebel M M, Aerogels handbook, USA: Springer; 2011.
Advantages with existing cellulose insulation
materials
Source: http://www.thermaxxjackets.com/5-most-common-thermal-insulation-materials/
Polyurethane
Polyurethane is a high performance
thermal insulation material offering
the lowest thermal conductivity of
all insulation products commonly
available in the market
Offers excellent compressive
strength at low densities
Source: www.europur.org, http://www.excellence-in-insulation.eu/site/
Current bio-based materials used in isolation
Recycled cellulose
• Recycled newsprint post-consumer is collected and sorted to remove
plastic, wood and other contaminants. The recycled newspaper is mixed
with post-industrial recycling which consists of unsold newspapers.
• Processing:
- Grinding to small fibers
- Addition of chemicals (e.g. flame retardant, mold retardant, etc.)
•
-
Used as
Loose fill cellulose
Cellulose batts
Wet cell spray cellulose
Cotton
Cotton insulation consists of 85% recycled
cotton and 15% plastic fibers that have been
treated with borate -- the same flame
retardant and insect/rodent repellent used in
cellulose insulation. One product uses
recycled blue jean manufacturing trim waste.
As a result of its recycled content, this
product uses minimal energy to manufacture.
Cotton insulation is available in batts. Cotton
insulation costs about 15% to 20% more than
fiberglass batt insulation.
Straw and hemp
The process of fusing straw into boards
without adhesives was developed in the
1930s. Panels are usually 5 to 102 mm thick
and faced with heavy-weight kraft paper on
each side. The boards make effective
sound-absorbing panels for interior
partitions. Some manufacturers have
developed structural insulated panels from
multiple-layered, compressed-straw panels.
Hemp
Hemp is used similarly as straw.
Cellulose Foam - Recycled cellulose
An Innovative Foam Insulation Produced from Cellulose dated
2012. Cellulose foam insulation is composed of cellulose and
starch. Cellulose is extracted from recycled wastepaper or
sawdust, coffee sludges and plant materials such as beans
and corn are used for starch. The product is made by a watervapor expansion method. First, waste paper and starch are
mixed together. And a portion of polypropylene-type resin is
added to the mixture. Then, the mixture undergoes the process
of steam expansion and extrusion that produces insulation in
the form of boards or loose-fill insulation. Instead of Gas,
steam is used for foaming cellulose.
The performance of the foamed cellulose product is similar to that
of expanded polysty-rene (EPS) in terms of tensile strength,
compressive strength, and water absorption.
Cellulose foam insulation has a density of 20 to 35 kg/m3 and an
apparent thermal conductivity of 0.034 to 0.038 W/m·K.
Uses are insulation, Sound-absorbing materials or packing
materials.
Young Cheol Kwon (Halla Univ, Korea), An Innovative Foam Insulation Produced from Cellulose,
BEST3 2012 Conf, Atlanta, USA.
Examples of Cellulose foam
Cellulose foam insulation
Young Cheol Kwon (Halla Univ, Korea), An Innovative Foam Insulation Produced from Cellulose,
BEST3 2012 Conf, Atlanta, USA.
Pellet manufacturing process:
Wastepaper → Shattering → Mixing → Paper
Pellet
Young Cheol Kwon (Halla Univ, Korea), An Innovative Foam Insulation Produced from Cellulose, BEST3 2012 Conf,
Atlanta, USA.
Product manufacturing process:
Paper pellet + Polypropylene → Steam foaming →
Product
Mixing
Steam
Young
Cheolfoaming
Kwon (Halla Univ, Korea), An Innovative Foam Insulation Produced from Cellulose, BEST3
2012 Conf, Atlanta, USA.
BioFoamBark: Bark Valorization into Insulating Foams and Bioenergy
The project targets at developing fully bio-based tannin foams in order to substitute petroleum
based foams.
The tannins are extracted from the bark of prevalent softwood species in Europe. Further
components for the foam formulation like glycerol and furfural or nanocellulose can be
recovered as by-products from biodiesel and the pulp and paper industry. One aim is to develop
foams with excellent properties for application as insulating building materials and for conversion
into synthesis gas at the end of the product life. In this project also the environmental
performance, techno-economic feasibility and market potentials of those biomaterials were
assessed. Therefore the central technological developments will be guided by the sustainability
and economic viability of the products.
The consortium is funded by WoodWisdom-Net/ERA-NET Bioenergy program and started 2012
for a period of three years. It is coordinated by Prof. Marie-Pierre Laborie from the Institute of
Forest Utilization and Work Science (FobAwi) at the University of Freiburg (Germany). Other
partners are VTT (Espoo, Finland), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Université de Lorraine,
LERMAB (Epinal, France), University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Fraunhofer Institute of
Solar Energy Systems ISE (Freiburg, Germany), Ledoga Srl. (San Michele Mondovi, Italy) and
nova-Institut GmbH (Hürth, Germany).
The nova-Institute conducts a techno-economic evaluation of the production processes in the
BioFoamBark project. This includes market research in order to evaluate the market potential of
bio-based insulating foams from bark as well as a techno-economic evaluation, the calculation of
performance measures and the identification of cost reduction potentials and first strategies for
market introduction.
BioFoamBark - Tannin foam
Properties of insulating rigid tannin-based foams:
- Low thermal conductivity
- Low density but good mechanical properties
- Very low flammability
- Mainly composed of renewable resources
Thermally insulating and fire-retardant
lightweight anisotropic foams based on
nanocellulose and graphene oxide
Bernd Wicklein et al., KTH, Nature Nanotechnology 2014
Cellulose - an alternative insulation material considering fire and moisture?
Fire performance has been studied by means of published data and moisture properties
studied by using published data but also by own moisture calculations. Moisture calculations
have been performed on a roof, exterior wall and attic floor in the measurement program Wufi
Pro 4.2.
The structures chosen for the calculations are constructed as recommended by the vendors of
cellulose insulation. Each design is calculated with and without a vapour barrier. This is done
given that there are those who advocate that the cellulose insulation’s hygroscopic capacity can
cope with the humid periods of the year.
The cellulose can buffer the moisture during the wet period and then deliver it when the warmer
and drier period sets in. However, calculations show that a moisture vapour barrier should
be used to ensure structural durability. Moisture calculations have also been performed on a
roof, exterior wall and attic floor construction with different insulation thicknesses and different
average temperatures. The results of these calculations show that a thicker isolation layer is not
a problem from a moisture perspective, as long as you use a vapour barrier.
When it comes to the cellulose insulation’s fire characteristics, the discussion shows that it is
uncertain how well the material resists fire. Few laboratory studies have been found and
small facts have led to that conclusion could not be conducted on the cellulose insulation’s fire
retardant properties.
Jessica Tangen Nord, Master thesis, 2013, Karlstad University, Sweden.
Manufacturers
Manufacturers Europe
A small number of large
companies dominate the
European market
Rockwool
Saint-Gobain
Knauf Insulation
Uralita
Source: Detailed assessment of the market potential and demand for, an EU ETV scheme
European cellulose
insulation producers
Isocell
Isocell factories
Isofloc
By google “cellulose insulation producers”
many small producers pops up
Ekovilla Oy, Finland
- Loose cellulose and batts. Further information, see the
VTT presentation
iCell, Sweden
- Loose cellulose and batts
Source: www.ecima.net