Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Eco-LWG (Eco-lightweight granules for energy efficient applications)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2015-08-01 al 2017-07-31
Developing innovative energy-efficient and low/zero-carbon materials are key areas in which the building sector can meet carbon reduction targets. A possible solution is to use phase change materials (PCMs). These can control temperature fluctuations and increase thermal mass in buildings thanks to their ability to store and release thermal energy during phase change processes (melting and freezing). However, PCMs need to be encapsulated before they can be incorporated into the built environment, to avoid leaking and incompatibilities with the construction matrix which contains them. There are several paths to incorporate PCMs. One existing method soaks commercial lightweight aggregates (LWA) in PCM. Therefore, the amount of PCM that the LWAs can host is limited by the latter’s absorption capacity, which is low.
The overall objective of this EU funded project was to deliver new energy efficient construction materials that can contribute to achieving the 2020 target of nearly zero-energy and highly material efficient buildings, which is an essential target to achieve sustainable growth in the EU. To achieve this, we engineered eco-lightweight granules (eco-LWG) to help mitigate the aforementioned problems.
The developed materials can reduce the energy requirements to heat and cool buildings and improve indoor living conditions by increasing thermal comfort for occupants, by reducing temperature fluctuations. Therefore, the expected socio-economic impact will be to increase people’s wellbeing, reduce energy bills and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. All these factors are essential to achieve sustainable growth in the EU.