Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Netherlands: Germany-based Knauf has rolled out a waste glass mineral wool insulation recycling pilot project across the Netherlands. At a small cost, a Knauf partner company will take back leftover insulation from customers’ projects, which is remotely quantified and scheduled for collection by Knauf’s software system. The partner company recycles the insulation for use in bricks and tiles. Knauf Western Europe circular economy manager Marc Bosmans said, “The scheme saves our customers costs, gives them peace of mind that waste is being dealt with responsibly and lowers the environmental impact of their projects.”

Knauf has also launched a pallet pick-up pilot project. Under the scheme, customers can contact a Knauf partner company in order to have the pallets on which Knauf products were delivered collected for reuse, in line with the principles of the circular economy. Bosmans said, “Customers, particularly those on large sites, see a huge added value in this service and appreciate that it is a one-stop solution that is good for business and good for the environment.”

US: A study conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that spray foam insulation applied to walls prior to the entry into effect of the Montréal Protocol banning chloroflourocarbons CFCs) is acting as a ‘CFC bank’ from which environmentally degrading chemicals continue to leach into the atmosphere.

MIT Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies Susan Soloman recommended that all such banks be ‘recovered and destroyed.’ “Before demolishing a building, you can take careful measures to recover the insulation foam and bury it in a landfill,” she said.

US: Business Wire News has published details of a report by market research company ResearchandMarkets, which predicts market growth in the global insulation sector of 8.2% to US$8.9bn by 2024 from US$6.0bn at the start of 2020. ResearchandMarkets foresees the largest market growth in the Asia and Pacific region, where Belgium-based Etex, Austria-based RHI Magnesita and France-based Calderys are all in the process of expanding their production facilities in the region.

UK: The Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) has appointed Simon Blackham as its new Technical Committee Chair. He will take up the role in mid-March 2020. Blackham works as Recticel Insulation’s technical manager. He started working for the company in 2019. He holds over 15 years’ experience in the construction industry, with a focus on the insulation sector. IMA is a representative body for the rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) insulation industry in the UK.

US: National Gypsum Company has published SoundBook 2.0, an updated version of its manual for technical information and architectural drawings of sound-rated assemblies for architects and contractors seeking to achieve required sound transmission class (STC) ratings on their projects. The publication includes details and drawings of 310 sound-rated assemblies for steel and wood stud construction, as well as for floor-ceiling applications. The book also features acoustical terms, concepts and proper installation methods for optimal sound control. The original SoundBook was published in 2015.

“Acoustical performance is one of the most popular topics covered by our Construction Services Team,” said John Bianchi, gypsum product manager for National Gypsum. National Gypsum’s goal in publishing SoundBook 2.0 is to provide architects, contractors and others involved in specifying products current information and illustrations on sound-rated wall, ceiling and floor assemblies.

National Gypsum has released several new acoustical gypsum products as part of the company’s SoundBreak XP family of products since the initial rollout of its SoundBreak XP Wall Board, including SoundBreak XP Retrofit Board, designed for use as an extra noise reducing layer over existing wallboard, and its most recent innovation, SoundBreak XP Ceiling Board, a board for floor-ceiling applications.