Insulation materials. Cellulose fiber and Expanded polystyrene Insulations

Abstract

The main role of thermal insulation materials in a building envelope are to prevent heat loss and provide thermal comfort for a building's interior. The factor that characterizes an insulation material's effectiveness is its thermal conductivity λ (measured in W/mK). The lower a material's thermal conductivity, the more effective it is as an insulator. Traditional insulation materials include glass fibre, stone wool, expanded polystyrene, and polyurethane foam. While these materials are efficient in maintaining thermal comfort to a buildings interior, they are made with non-renewable resources and have a high embodied energy. Consequently, there is an increasing interest for alternative insulating materials that come from renewable or recycled fibres. Natural fibres such as jute, flax and hemp have shown to be suitable alternatives to mineral insulation and are the subject of numerous research projects. One such material is cellulose fibre insulation (CFI). Comprising mostly of recycled paper fibres, cellulose is increasing in popularity due to its eco-friendly nature and favourable thermal and acoustic properties. Even amongst other insulation materials CFI presents some of the lowest embodied energy per kg of material.