Conversion of End-of-Life Household Materials into Building Insulating Low-Cost Solutions for the Development of Vulnerable Contexts: Review and Outlook towards a Circular and Sustainable Economy

Abstract

In a world increasingly aware of the environmental cost of the current production/ consumption model, the use of sustainable practices to reduce our environmental impact as a society becomes imperative. One way to reduce this impact is to increase the reuse of materials that are considered, by current definitions of ”waste”, at their end of life. End-of-Life Household Materials (EoLHM) can be defined as household waste materials that still possess exploitable properties, thus making them suitable for reuse. There are several studies in the literature that address the recycling of these materials. When it comes to their reuse, unfortunately, only a limited number of studies are available. This paper aims to fill this gap by investigating the possibility to convert EoLHM, such as clothes or packaging, into low-cost thermal insulating materials for the improvement of the indoor thermal comfort in buildings, especially for households at risk of suffering from energy poverty. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review and a qualitative analysis of both commercial and EoLHM are proposed. Commercial thermal insulating materials analysis is used as a reference to measure the performance of EoLHM. Important aspects to be considered when choosing suitable EoLHM for a smart conversion and reuse are also investigated. The most important outcome of this investigation is the comprehension that the conversion of EoLHM into insulating material is possible, and it implies a direct reduction in waste production, with environmental benefits and positive social implications. However, some aspects such as adaptability, life expectancy, collection and storage are, at present, in need of further thinking and development to make the EoLHM reuse and re-conversion processes viable on a large (neighborhood/city) scale.

Thermal and Acoustic Characterization of Innovative and Unconventional Panels Made of Reused Materials

“…One of the most striking cases of designing packaging also considering its reuse is the one proposed by Heineken [7], which realized square glass bottles that were used to build houses in the Caribbean islands. Also the scientific community has realized the potential of end-of-life materials [8], and several studies have investigated the properties of plastic bottles [9,10], cardboard and paper elements [11][12][13][14][15][16], Tetra-Pak panels [17], textiles waste [18][19][20][21][22], and egg boxes and trays [23][24][25][26][27][28]. More recently, so-called green and sustainable materials made of natural fibers have been investigated [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36].…”

Sound Absorbing and Insulating Low-Cost Panels from End-of-Life Household Materials for the Development of Vulnerable Contexts in Circular Economy Perspective

“…Many EoLHM still have properties when discharged and are largely available: for example, the estimated yearly global production is about 241 million tons for cardboard and paper packaging [10,11], 380,000 million tons for plastic packaging [12], and 92 million tons for textile waste [13] of which only the 12% is recycled [14]. The large availability of EoLHM and the problems related to recycling can support the approach of converting them into acoustic panels: as suggested in [15], this avoids the generation of waste, reduces the footprint due to raw materials extraction, and makes them accessible also to vulnerable population that can not afford commercial acoustic materials. Moreover, since EoLHM are largely available, this approach could incentive buildings renovation and facilitate the achievement of the energy and environmental international goals set by the European Parliament [16,17].…”

Determinação voltamétrica de bismuto em sistema aquoso bifásico e elaboração de um eletrodo de filme de bismuto a partir de fonte secundária : uma proposta de sustentabilidade

“…A garantia e implementação de formas de consumo e produção sustentáveis estão contempladas no objetivo 12 da agenda 2030 das Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU). No presente documento, os membros parceiros corroboram que a eficiência na gestão de dos recursos naturais compartilhados do planeta é uma etapa essencial para alcançar o desenvolvimento sustentável [1].…”

“…O esgotamento das fontes primárias de recursos é uma das principais razões para o desajuste dos ecossistemas e para os crescentes impactos ambientais negativos. Visto que as fontes de recursos primários são escassas, emerge a necessidade de uma quebra de paradigma, alterando o modelo produtivo vigente baseado na economia linear [1].…”

“…Nesse modelo, os resíduos gerados ao longo da cadeia produtiva devem ser reinseridos na mesma, afim de mitigar os impactos ambientais causados pela geração de resíduos. Dessa maneira, as fontes secundárias de matéria-prima passam a ter um papel relevante em novo processo de produção e consumo, o que se mostra compatível com o princípio de sustentabilidade dos 3R (reduzir, reutilizar, reciclar) [1].…”