Environmental Burdens of External Thermal Insulation Systems. Expanded Polystyrene vs. Mineral Wool: Case Study from Poland

Sustainability

Bartosz Michałowski¹  Sebastian Czernik¹  Marta Marcinek¹  Jacek Michalak¹ 

[1] Research and Development Center, Atlas sp. z o.o., 2, Kilinskiego St., 91–421 Lodz, Poland;

关键词: environmental impact;    environmental product declaration (EPD);    life cycle assessment (LCA);    external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS);    global warming potential (GWP);   

DOI  :  10.3390/su12114532

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) improves the energy efficiency of buildings, and nowadays, this method is the most popular to insulate buildings in many European Union (EU) countries. The article presents the impact of producing ETICS with expanded polystyrene (EPS) or mineral wool (MW) on the natural environment using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The data used in the calculations, related to 2017 real production, were obtained from the externally verified inventory from five manufacturing plants located in different regions of Poland. The LCA of the examined products covered modules from A1 to A3 (cradle-to-gate), according to EN 15804 standard. The study determines and analyses the values of basic indicators related to environmental impacts and environmental aspects of resource use. It comprises indicators calculated for 1 m² ETICS for five thicknesses of the mentioned thermal insulation materials. Results show that for all environmental indicators, MW systems are characterized by a more negative environmental impact than the equivalent systems with EPS. The study aims to highlight knowledge about ETICS sustainability. The data presented in work are essential for assessment in terms of the sustainable development of ETICS. Such an evaluation is not just a need for the future but a necessity for the present.

【 授权许可】

Unknown