Biopanels

Our solution focuses on creating innovative, sustainable bio-based panels as an alternative to conventional insulation materials like polystyrene and polyurethane. These panels are made from local biomass waste, such as Posidonia, rice husk, and hemp, which require minimal pre-treatment. We also use bio-adhesives (e.g., lignin, tannin, or soy-based) that are less toxic than traditional isocyanates. Additionally, we have developed protective outer renders from mortars of blended cement and geopolymer to serve as the external skin of these bio-based boards, ensuring they can withstand environmental conditions. 

The primary goals of this project are to develop a new generation of building panels that are: 

• Sustainable: Made from local, low-cost biomass waste and bio-adhesives to reduce reliance on fossil-based polymers. 
• High-Performance: Possessing good thermal and mechanical properties comparable to or better than existing commercial products. 
• Safe: Demonstrating low VOC emissions, high fire resistance, and resistance to fungi. 
• Environmentally Friendly: Aiming to significantly reduce embodied energy and CO2 emissions, with an expected reduction of over 50% compared to fossil-based alternatives. 
• Economically Viable: Having a competitive advantage over conventional materials on the market. 

We have made significant progress in developing and testing the bio-based panels: 

• Materials & Production: We successfully produced bio-based panels at a pilot scale using hemp fibers and a tannin/hexa-based adhesive. These panels consist of 10% resin relative to the fiber mass.
• Technical Performance: The panels demonstrate strong performance in several key areas, including: 

– Mechanical Properties: Successful testing of shear, compression, tensile, and bending strength. 

– Safety: Good resistance to fungi, positive fire performance, and low VOC emissions. 

– Thermal Performance: The thermal conductivity is below 0.1 W/m·K, which meets basic requirements of the Spanish Technical Building Code (CTE). 

– Renders: The developed mortars for the outer skin have properties that are equal to or superior to the commercial reference mortar. 

• Sustainability & Economy: 

– Embodied Energy & Emissions: Initial calculations show a reduction in embodied energy and similar CO2 equivalent emissions to commercial particleboard wood, indicating a significant improvement over fossil-derived products. 

– CO2 Sink: We confirmed that some of these bio-based materials can act as a CO2 sink, further enhancing their environmental benefits. We expect to see a 70% reduction in embodied energy and a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to petroleum-based materials. 

While our achievements are promising, there are several areas that require further development and refinement in the upcoming period (WP3): 

• Industrial-Scale Sustainability Assessment: We will conduct a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) at an industrial scale to accurately measure embodied energy and CO2 emissions, which we expect to have stronger competitive advantages than the values obtained with lab scale data. We are also pending measurement of environmental and economic indicators for the mortar renders. 

• Material Property Improvement: 

– Thermal Conductivity: We will explore different fiber sizes and adhesive combinations to enhance insulation properties and achieve high-performance standards, as the current thermal conductivity only meets basic requirements. 

– Moisture Resistance: The most critical issue to address is the high short-term water absorption. We will focus on developing formulation adjustments or treatments to reduce this absorption, ensuring the panels’ durability and long-term performance, even though they will be sealed within a sandwich façade system.