The developments include panels from Posidonia oceanica, recycled polyurethane and bio-polyurethane for sprays and windows, and natural coatings that protect against fire. The solutions will be applied in five real demo sites: Mallorca (Spain), Vitry-sur-Seine (France), Menden (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic) and Vilnius (Lithuania).
AIMPLAS
Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in Europe. Thermal insulating construction materials help improve insulation and reduce the industry's carbon footprint by saving energy in new builds and older properties.
AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, participates in the European BIO4EEB Project, which aims to increase the use of bio-based insulating materials to promote a greener construction industry. A multidisciplinary consortium of technology centres, universities and companies from ten European countries and one Latin American is developing a portfolio of non-hazardous, bio-based insulation materials.
The new developments include panels and fibres made from Neptune seagrass, bioplastics such as PLA and bio-polyurethane with recycled content for sprays and windows, guaranteeing optimal thermal and acoustic insulation. They also improve passive safety against fire and other prefabricated elements for sustainable façades.
AIMPLAS will contribute to developing PLA foams and natural coatings designed to protect against fire. It will also be involved in validating tests to use various insulating solutions in independent and combined structures. These new materials will undergo testing at the demo sites.
These solutions will be applied at five real demo sites and three virtual demo sites, all strategically chosen to cover different European climates. They will be in Mallorca (Spain), Vitry-sur-Seine (France), Menden (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic) and Vilnius (Lithuania). The project aims for high replicability of the new solutions. Renovation packages and replicability studies will be developed to facilitate seamless integration. The renovation packages are designed for several types of buildings with different characteristics to ensure swift and easy implementation.
Other participants include FOCCHI (Italy), 3L Architects and Industrial Designers (Germany), Bouygues Construction (France), European Builders Confederation (Belgium), ABUD (Hungary), INDRESMAT BV (Netherlands), R2M Solution (France and Italy), SOLINTEL (Spain), PROTECH (Lithuania), Starcell (Italy), STÚ-K (Czech Republic), CEU GmbH (Austria), Sòphia High Tech (Italy), TANDEM (Spain) and CAMACOL (Colombia).