The Application of Recycled Plastic Insulation Materials in Constructions – Serbian Prospects

Abstract

Plastic is one of the most popular and useful materials of modern times. However, its popularity is part of the problem: we now use about 20 times more plastic than we did 50 years ago. However, the lifespan of plastics can be optimized by reuse and recycling. As the space for landfilling is diminishing, recycling plastic has become an attractive alternative to final disposal. The main objective of this paper is to present a novel thermal insulation building material for construction engineering made from recycled plastic. Based on conducted research, it can be concluded that Serbia has a relatively good level of activity in the recycling sector. In the plastic recycling process, PET flakes are produced, from which, through further processing, polyester fibre is gained whose further use in the production of insulation material is possible. Unfortunately, there is no factory in Serbia that currently produces this kind of insulation. All further analyses are based on recycled plastic insulation materials, which are developed and commercialized on the foreign market. The paper presents the technical characteristics of these materials in relation to the classical insulating materials and analyzes the economic and other factors affecting the possibility of employing these materials in the Serbian construction industry. The analyses results are that in terms of thermal and technical characteristics, insulation materials from recycled plastic do not lag behind conventional insulation materials. In terms of environment and human health impacts, there are no negative effects. The calculation demonstrates that a building envelope, which contains recycled plastic thermal insulation material, can reach low-energy and even more passive building standards. The initial cost of investing in thermal insulation returns within the first years of the exploitation period.