The market
The global natural insulation market could reach one billion dollars in 2015. Based on the data collected from individual and extrapolations from data from small and multinational companies operating on a global scale, the current market can be estimated between $ 500 and $ 600 million. Since the case of insulation painting (case 37) covered the insulation market, market information will only relate to natural insulation. The use of renewable vegetable and animal sources to produce insulation is more and more popular since there is less energy required for the extraction of the desired ingredients, their production and their conditioning. The main renewable insulation product is a soy -based polyurethane foam. The 7 billion pounds of polyols are expected to be the basic material to produce polyurethane consumed in OECD countries, more and more depend on natural oil -based polyols (PNO). Bayer Material Science (Germany) and Biobased Technologies, a start-up based in Arkansas (USA) have developed technologies to increase renewable content. It is very necessary. Even when the product indicates that it is a soy -based product, it is rarely considered as a biological product with the minimum percentage set by the United States Minister of Agriculture. The Bayer Nop can contain 40 to 70 percent of renewable materials, which means that the final product can contain only 10 to 15 percent of biological origin and that, therefore, this product is barely eligible For a Biopreferred stamp. Even with such a low biological content, the label does not represent much. However, it has been calculated that by replacing a ton of oil or mineral substances with substances of biological origin, one can eliminate or prevent up to 5.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from penetrating the atmosphere. These facts motivated Liebherr, the German appliance manufacturer of household appliances, to use NOP insulating foam. Hyundai and Kia now incorporate NOP foam cushions into some models, just like Ford Motor for Mustang seats. This would be considered an example of the green economy.
Innovation
The foam derived from renewable oils offer a popular solution. Traditional uses of insulation such as straw panels, linen panels, wool, cellulose and jute compete more and more fiberglass and mineral wool. Sheep are the most traditional, since these animals have been domesticated for 8000 years. Wool is one of the traditional body and house insulation materials. Several wool insulation companies in the United States and the United Kingdom record two growth rates of growth rates offering additional welcome income for a sector that has had difficulty competing with synthetic substitution products. Straw -based buildings have also benefited from growing demand. However, with the exception of the printing of recycled newspapers, which has not been highlighted, most of the renewable materials mentioned can hardly be qualified as durable since their use as a raw material for the insulation comes into competition with other primary uses, including food production. While the reduction in our dependence on oil is a laudable objective, our long -term sustainability requires innovations that focus on materials that are not in competition with each other, in search of input flows easily available , without commercial use, and therefore in search of value -added applications. This generates a complementary economy, with added value chains that generate value and jobs, instead of replacing products. Reidar Berglund, construction engineer, specializing in heating, ventilation and sanitary, began his career as an energy efficiency advisor. It has designed energy saving systems for industrial and domestic applications. He worked with sawdust as an insulating, a traditional product that resisted the test of time. He studied options for the development of a pure natural insulating material which is made of the same material and enjoys the same level of sophistication as the absorption down based on cellulose in layers. It has created very effective insulation, fully recyclable and natural from short fibers that remain paper factories. It took a decade in Reidar to develop a competitive product that made the fibers more ventilated thanks to the fine distribution of tiny cellulose strings, combined with the accumulation of microscopic air bubbles in both fibers and in space between them. He then obtained all the necessary permits, including in fire safety. Reidar not only undertook to design an efficient product, but it has also developed a production process that does not require any external input. In fact, Reidar has succeeded in reconditioning the physical conditions and properties of cellulose on the basis of the most strict environmental and qualitative requirements. After the implementation of the product and the process, in 1989 he created the company Termoträ (pronounced Termotree), developed its own direct and distribution system in close collaboration with a limited number of local experts and installation certified.
The first cash flow
Mr. Reidar was able to maintain his investments in research and development thanks to the cash flows he drawn from his consultation and engineering activities in terms of energy. He has established close collaboration with Anders Nyquist, the pioneering architect of the eco-cycle who is always looking for local solutions made from local materials. Termoträ applied the technology proven in the Nydala housing complex in Umeå and in the now famous Laggarberg school in Timrå. These buildings have quickly proven the efficiency of the insulation material in one of the most concerned with quality regions: northern Sweden, three or four hours of Stockholm train. Close monitoring of the performance of its material for a family home has made it possible to conclude that energy savings of 15,000 kW/hour per year are made in all areas. In addition, the installation does not require a vapor barrier or plastic sheets, replacing something. The homemade product has impressed to the point that even the Royal Stockholm Palace is now isolated with this local and natural product. The market has developed and the production and distribution system entirely integrated, from waste that was previously spilled in landfills or incinerated, already provides high quality insulation to 6,500 family houses. A competitive product begins with a rest, is physically reconditioned, is fully reconditionable and recyclable, competes in terms of performance and price in a high-cost country with cheaper alternatives from overseas, creating jobs and creating share capital. It is also exempt from mold and thus contributes to the quality of the indoor air and the health of the occupants. This meets the characteristics of the blue economy.
The opportunity
With the advent of prefabricated houses, the cellulose flakes supplied by Termoträ can also be injected into the construction modules, thus increasing the efficiency of the assembly. The old houses can be quickly refurbished with a layer of insulation sprayed in the appropriate places in the walls or on the ceiling with a vacuum cleaner type with a 60 -meter long pipe, which penetrates almost everywhere in the house. Reidar and his team do not advertise, they prefer word of mouth. The exceptional results led to the introduction of technology in Germany, with a first project in Borkwalde (Berlin) and soon multiple initiatives were continued in Norway. Each community around a pasta and papers factory could embark on a production and distribution model adapted after the breakthrough of Reidar. He has already expressed his desire to transfer his know-how to Bhutan and other countries rich in fiber and poor in isolation, which will only ask entrepreneurs to make it a real commercial opportunity.
