Title Life cycle assessment of magnesium oxide structural insulated panels /
Translation of Title Struktūrinių magnio oksido (MgO) plokščių su izoliaciniu sluoksniu aplinkosauginis būvio ciklo įvertinimas.
Authors Alonso Soto, Alexandra Maria
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Pages 57
Keywords [eng] structural insulated panel ; life cycle assessment ; environmental impact
Abstract [eng] The construction and operation of buildings have significant impacts on the environment. In Europe, buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The need to build sustainable buildings that use less energy, fewer natural resources, and proper construction materials to be built and operated is a necessity that can be achieved with innovative technologies and the compliance of laws and regulations. Magnesium Oxide Structural Insulated Panel is a construction material with many advantages claimed by its manufacturers: lightweight, fire resistance, high insulation properties and minimization of energy consumption. Nonetheless, far too less information about the impacts to the environment from the raw materials extraction process as well of the recycling options for this component can be found in the literature. This study presents a cradle-to-grave analysis of the life cycle of MgO SIP that was conducted through the implementation of a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology for a functional unit of 1 m2 of insulated panel given a thermal insulation value and within 50-year service life. The study was conducted following the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standards ISO 14040:2006 for life cycle assessment and the European Standard EN 15804:2012+A2 for sustainable building assessment. This study included the evaluation of environmental impacts over all MgO SIP life cycle and recycling/recovery opportunities for the panel after the end-of-life stage and compared it with a baseline scenario. Results indicate that the cycle stages with higher contributions in almost all impact categories are the raw materials production and supply (A1), construction (A5) and end-of-life (module C3) stage. Concerning end-of-life scenarios assessment, results indicate although both alternatives are feasible and produce lower environmental impacts than the baseline scenario, the chemical recycling option provides chemical substances recovery opportunities that can lead to broader secondary raw material applications.
Dissertation Institution Kauno technologijos universitetas.
Type Master thesis
Language English
Publication date 2021