FAIR-CT97-3679 Utilisation of European wool as insulation material

Contacts
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Bulk Chemicals : FAIR Area 1.2 - Green Chemicals and Polymers Chain : Fibre

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	FAIR-CT97-3679
	Total Cost	643,710 ECU
	EC Contribution	321,855 ECU
	Start Date	01/05/1998
	Duration	24 Months

Objectives

Thermal building insulation is currently realised by using materials such as fibre-glass or rock wool; it is envisaged to partially replace fibre-glass or rock wool by wool and to adapt European wool production and processing conditions for this new application. The utilisation of wool as a thermal insulation material in buildings opens the perspective of new and alternative outlets to the European wool, at the moment where one observes a stagnation of its traditional markets. If wool-growers can answer to the requirements about wool qualities necessary for the building sector, the price of their wool will also increase. It is incontestably the perspectives of the large potential market of thermal insulation that confers to the research project its most evident economical interest. But wool as such needs to be improved. First farming conditions should be adapted and secondly wool transformation industry should develop the needed processing to confer better flame-proofing, moth-proofing and rot-proofing to the fibre.

Technical Approach

The first goal of the project is to inform farmers and to help them to reach the wool quality needed for this new technical application of wool. The first industrial goal will consist in the development of an economic scouring process for wool. The second industrial goal, that will constitute an important part of the project, will consist to define the most economic processing methods and the most respectful of the environment, so that this processed wool will be resistant to microorganisms, to moths and to burning. The third goal is to find carding, needling and resin treatment conditions to optimise the insulation properties of the material. The project is realised in collaboration of a wool-grower association, a collector of wool, a wool scourer, a manufacturer of insulation panels, and a textile laboratory.

Glass materials should be replaced because they have following drawbacks:

• null humidity absorption leading to condensation
• tendency to produce glass dust or microfibres of rock wool (and release of toxic chemical vapours), with associated health problems similar to asbestos
• problems relating to disposal due to lack of biodegradability of these materials, which consist of composites of glass, foils and synthetic resins

Wool is a very good alternative to glass because of the following advantages:

• the fibre's natural crimp allows the manufacture of a ventilated insulation product and hence the utilisation of wool as thermal and phonic insulation material
• excellent thermal insulation properties
• fast absorption and release of humidity allowing damping of temperature peaks namely in roofs
• dimensional stability once fixed
• natural resistance to burning up to 600ºC
• highly reversible compressibility - this is an advantage for transportation
• compostable and completely mineralisable
• the production of dust is not a problem with wool with respect to the brittle mineral fibres because wool is a soft non-irritating protein material of natural origin

Results to Date

Information about this research and the quality of wool has been presented by the Nederlandse Wolfederatie, especially for Dutch farmers. The first industrial goal consisted of the development of an economic wool scouring process. First results indicate that a satisfactory process can be developed by changing temperature and chemical use if the fleece is loosened before scouring. The first trials also show that it is possible to decrease the amount of water used.

Contacts

Coordinator

• Dominique GODIN / Traitex SA BELGIUM

EC Scientific Officer

• Ciarán MANGAN / European Commission - DG Research Quality of Life Programme - Unit B1.2 / BELGIUM

Participant

• Dr Jean KNOTT / Centre Scientifique et Technique de l'Industrietextile Belge / BELGIUM
• Jan JANUS / Cooperatieve Nederlandse Wolafzet Vereninging BA / NETHERLANDS
• Ing L A M SNIK / Plintal BV NETHERLANDS
• Josef Schett / Villgrater Natur Produkte Josef Schett KG / AUSTRIA