Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Croatia: Austria-based Austrotherm plans to invest Euro12m in the construction of a new expanded polystyrene insulation plant in Zabok, near Zagreb. SeeNews has reported that the plant is scheduled for commissioning in early-mid 2024. When operational, Austrotherm expects it to employ 30 people.

Chief executive officer Klaus Haberfellner said "More than 60% of Croatian homes are poorly insulated or not insulated at all." He added "There is also significant potential for insulation of buildings on the popular Croatian Adriatic coast."

Spain: Ireland-based Kingspan has acquires mineral wool-based sandwich panel producer Invespanel. Invespanel’s panels include extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS)-core refrigeration panels, and the company continually develops new sandwich panels for various applications. Invespanel recorded a turnover of Euro11m in 2021.

Kingspan’s Southern Europe insulated panels director Josep Jordan said “The integration of Invespanel into Kingspan is a great opportunity to complement our offerings with customised products for even the most demanding applications. The synergies with the Kingspan group, together with Invespanel's technological know-how and human capital, will be the key tool to drive the growth of our project in Southern Europe.”

Poland: Major cement producer Holcim has entered into an agreement to acquire waterproofing, adhesives, polystyrene products and plaster producer Izolbet. Izolbet employs 170 people and operates four production plants in Budzyń, Gostynin, Kleszczów and Chmielów, with most of its business in the high-growth repair and refurbishment market. Holcim says that the new acquisition will help to strengthen its footprint in the renovation, thermal insulation and finishing segment.

Europe, Middle East and Africa region head Miljan Gutovic said “Speciality building solutions have been a key focus for expanding Solutions & Products in Europe, notably with the recent acquisitions of PRB Group in France and PTB-Compaktuna in Belgium. I’m excited to be welcoming all of Izolbet’s employees into the Holcim family, to unleash our next chapter of growth together.

US: DuPont plans to launch new extruded polystyrene foam insulation products in its Styrofoam brand with reduced global warming potential (GWP) from the start of 2021 to meet its 2030 Sustainability Goals and comply with adopted and upcoming state and provincial hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) regulations throughout the US and Canada. The company also expects a reduction in embodied carbon to be reflected in an updated Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which will be available with the new products.

"We are taking a thoughtful, phased approach to launching this latest Styrofoam innovation to ensure we are providing a sustainable, code-approved solution that does not sacrifice the performance our customers have come to trust," said Tim Lacey, Global Vice President & General Manager, DuPont Performance Building Solution.

Hungary: Bodrogi Bau is upgrading its polystyrene insulation plant in Szeged. It is spending Euro3m on building two new production lines, according to the MTI-Eco news agency. One of the new lines will be used to manufacture polystyrene insulation blocks. The project is supported by a Euro1.5m grant from the European Union (EU) and the local government. The company runs businesses in construction, building material retail, planning and real estate.

Slovenia: A fire broke out at Fragmat’s insulation plant at Podskrajnik near Cerknica on 13 June 2019. Around 450 fire fighters were involved in controlling the blaze, according to the Slovenian Press Agency. The unit manufactures polystyrene insulation.

US: Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) have developed an alternative to extruded polystyrene foam that uses nanocrystals of cellulose instead of petroleum based products. The team, led by Amir Ameli, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Xiao Zhang, associate professor in the Gene and Linda School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, have also developed a manufacturing process to make the foam using water as a solvent.

The project is working on developing an environmentally friendly replacement for extruded polystyrene foam. The WSU team created a material that is made of about 75% cellulose nanocrystals from wood pulp. They added polyvinyl alcohol, another polymer that bonds with the nanocellulose crystals and makes the resultant foams more elastic.

“We have used an easy method to make high-performance, composite foams based on nanocrystalline cellulose with an excellent combination of thermal insulation capability and mechanical properties,” said Ameli.

The researchers are now developing formulations for stronger and more durable materials for practical applications. They are interested in incorporating low‑cost feedstocks to make a commercially viable product and considering how to move from laboratory to a real-world manufacturing scale.

Saudi Arabia: Bawan has completed its acquisition of a 100% stake in Arnon Plastic Industries, a producer of polyethylene and polystyrene insulation and panelling products. It agreed the share acquisition in January 2019 but it was wiring for regulatory approval. Bawan operates in the concrete, wood, metal and electrical industries and the acquisition opens up a new market for the company.

Russia: Penoplex has launched production of a new brand of general use polystyrene for the production of heat-insulation boards. It uses additives to improve the solution of foaming agents used in the production of extruded polystyrene foam.

Penoplex is a Russian manufacturer of construction, decorative and finishing materials from polymers. The company started in 1998 when it launched Russia’s first production line to manufacture heat-insulating materials made of extrusive expanded polystyrene under the Penoplex trademark.

US: The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in California has asserted that polystyrene is not the same as styrene and is not listed by the state as a substance that causes cancer. The OEHHA has added styrene to a list of a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65).

"There is sufficient scientific information to demonstrate that the intended uses of these materials are safe,” said the OEHHA. "While free or unreacted styrene may be present in such products, only styrene exposures that pose a significant cancer risk would require a warning." Styrene is used to make expanded polystyrene (EPS) but the substances have different properties. The OEHHA's listing is based on the findings of the 12th edition of the National Toxicology Program's Report on Carcinogens that assesses the potential for risks associated with styrene, primarily in work environments where levels of styrene exposure may be higher.