The Greening of Foam Insulating Materials Considering Their Life Cycle and Effective Thermal Properties

Abstract

The construction industry has a large environmental impact considering the building material manufacturing, construction, operations, and decommissioning. Not surprisingly, there is an increasing request to reduce this significant environmental impact through the use of materials with low global warming potential (GWP), which could also guarantee efficient building operation. Insulating materials reduce the building energy demand, but they have a negative environmental impact for the raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, and end-of-life disposal. This article focuses on closed cell foam materials and present recent advancements in the fourth generation of blowing agents. The article also discusses the importance of considering the effective thermal conductivity to account for the in-field long-term performance of these insulating materials. The aim of this paper is to promote a more holistic thinking about the characteristics of foam insulating materials.