Recycling of nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate textile into thermal and acoustic insulation for more sustainable buildings

Antolinc, David (author), Eleršič Filipič, Kristina (author)

The construction and building sector is responsible for a large share of energy and material used during the life cycle of a building. It is therefore crucial to apply a circular economy model within the process wherever possible to minimize the impact on the environment. In this paper, the possibility of producing thermal and acoustic boards from industrial nonwoven waste textile is studied and presented. The nonwoven polyester textile obtained directly from the production line in the form of strips and bales was first shredded into smaller fractions and then in the form of pile compressed with a hot press to form compact thermal insulation boards. The first set of specimens was prepared only from waste polyester nonwoven textile, whereas the second set was treated with sodium silicate in order to check the material’s reaction to fire performance. The experimental work was conducted to define the acoustic properties, reaction to fire behavior and thermal conductivity of the produced specimens. The obtained results show that the thermal conductivity coefficient of specimens without added water glass dissolution is near to the values of conventional materials used as thermal insulation in buildings. The reaction to fire testing proved that the addition of water glass actually propagates the progressive flame over the entire product. It can be concluded that the presented thermal insulation can be used as an adequate and sustainable solution for building construction purposes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: textile waste, thermal insulation, sound absorber, sustainability, circular economy, recycling
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 18, art. 3090
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-131847
• UDC: 699.8
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym13183090
• COBISS.SI-ID: 76471811
• Publication date in RUL: 04.10.2021

ANTOLINC, David and ELERŠIČ FILIPIČ, Kristina, 2021, Recycling of nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate textile into thermal and acoustic insulation for more sustainable buildings. Polymers [online]. 2021. Vol. 13, no. 18,  3090. [Accessed 14 March 2025]. DOI 10.3390/polym13183090. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=131847

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: tekstilni odpadki, toplotna izolacija, zvočna izolacija, trajnostnost, krožno gospodarstvo, reciklaža