Abstract: The study and development of an innovative material
for building insulation is really important for a sustainable society in order to improve comfort and reducing energy consumption. The aim of this work is the development of insulating panels for
sustainable buildings based on an innovative material made by
cardboard and Phase Change Materials (PCMs).
The research has consisted in laboratory tests whose purpose has been the obtaining of the required properties for insulation panels: lightweight, porous structures and mechanical resistance. PCMs have been used for many years in the building industry as
smart insulation technology because of their properties of storage and release high quantity of latent heat at useful specific temperatures [1]- [2].
The integration of PCMs into cellulose matrix during the waste paper recycling process has been developed in order to obtain a
composite material.
Experiments on the productive process for the realization of insulating panels were done in order to make the new material
suitable for building application. The addition of rising agents
demonstrated the possibility to obtain a lighter structure with better
insulation properties.
Several tests were conducted to verify the new panel properties. The results obtained have shown the possibility to realize an
innovative and sustainable material suitable to replace insulating panels currently used.