Sustainable Plastics - August/September 2021 - 26

construction
continued from page 25
such as EPS and XPS, have
a distinct advantage. Foams
for the thermal insulation of
buildings are based on three
families of polymers: polystyrenes
(such as EPS and XPS),
polyurethanes, and polyolefins.
Polystyrene foam is currently
the preferred solution for wall
and floor insulation, based on
its low thermal conductivity and
structural performance. Overall,
polymer foams have a 55%
share of the market for insulation
materials in building and
construction, followed by glass
wool (25%) and stone wool
(20%). This high performance
makes them an energy efficient
solution well placed to support
sustainable systems in building
and construction.
The potential to conserve energy
in buildings through pipe
insulation is less well known
than structural insulation. As
this potential is less well known,
there are often multiple components
in heat distribution pipe
systems that are inadequately
insulated, if at all, leading to
thermal energy wastage that
goes unnoticed. It is thought
that insulating pipe components
could achieve fuel savings worth
8% of an annual heating bill. Insulating
pipes also has several
other advantages, such as noise
reduction and helping with condensation
control.
Sabic believes that polyolefin
foams in particular have considerable
potential for growth
in the pipe insulation market,
largely thanks to breakthrough
developments in polymer technology.
LDPE foam specifically
offers great potential, being
much less dense than rival
products and considerably less
costly - EPDM, for example, is
four times as expensive. The
company is expanding its portfolio
of LDPE foam solutions
through new developments
involving blends of LDPE with
thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers
(SABIC FORTIFY) and
plastomers (SABIC COHERE).
These can insulate central heating
and air conditioning cooling
pipes, conserving valuable
energy as well as being lightweight
and easy to install.
Energy solutions
26
ideal solution for transporting
hydrogen. Green hydrogen in
particular will be a central technology
for a low carbon future,
and PE pipes offer a proven
way to support the conversion
of gas grids to use hydrogen.
There have already been success
stories of using PE pipes to
distribute hydrogen, including
Hong Kong's network, which
already incorporates a blend of
50% hydrogen.
Insulating pipes with
polyolefin foam is a good way
to conserve energy
Sabic has also been working on
solutions to assist in the provision
of renewable energy in
urban areas where space is increasingly
scarce.
In many urban spaces, there
is little room for traditional photovoltaic
(PV) modules. We
collaborated with PV module
developer Solarge to provide
them with lighter, reinforced
polymers in order to create
lightweight PV modules. The
Solarge PV panel is made from
mineral filled PP and uses a
specially UV stabilized PP as
the front sheet - this makes it a
mono material solution, which
is much easier to recycle. The
residuals can also serve as raw
material for new PV modules.
Another way of addressing
space scarcity is to bring energy
production solutions onto water.
SABIC has also been working
with SolarisFloat-Protevs
to help develop floating solar
systems that still ensure the
continuous performance needed
whilst reducing pressure on
urban space. These lightweight
and easy to install floating solar
systems can be placed on inner
water surfaces in urban areas,
such as lakes, and connect to
pre-exiting substations and
power lines.
As well as occupying otherwise
unused space, floating
PV farms can also be more efficient
and more cost-effective
than those on land. They have
increased efficiency as the water
keeps the panels cool, improving
their ability to generate
electricity and ultimately making
them more cost-efficient
to maintain, due to this higher
energy production rate. Under
the same weather conditions,
floating farms could generate
August/September 2021
up to 12% more energy than
land-based solar farms because
of the cooling environment and
harnessing the reflection off the
water's surface.
Supporting hydrogen
Using polymers in the construction
process for pipe systems
can also help to support the
supply of cleaner energy to cities.
Pipes made from polyethylene
(PE) that were successfully
used in pipe infrastructures
in the middle of 1953 remain in
operation today, with studies
confirming an expected service
lifespan of more than 100 years
for these pipes.
The high performance of
these pipes has a distinct advantage
for supporting the
introduction of hydrogen into
the gas network. Sabic is a producer
and supplier of PE100
granules for the creation of PE
pipes, which offers high performance
in terms of strength and
ultimately makes PE pipes an
Foam insulation
boards
are an energy
efficient
solution.
A more sustainable
future for construction
To improve the sustainability
of cities and the buildings that
create them, it will take collaboration
across industry and supply
chains. From pipe materials
to wall insulation, to making
sure there is the infrastructure
in place to support provision of
cleaner energy, there are many
details that must be considered
in the ecosystem of modern cities.
The
role of plastic building
materials and piping in creating
sustainable, modern cities
cannot be overestimated. With
the wide range of solutions we
can provide - from polymer
products that cover insulation
in buildings to those assisting
with the supply of green energy
- Sabic aims to be part
of this future. Closing the loop
on building materials will be
the ultimate long-term goal for
achieving sustainable construction
materials, by reducing the
number of materials used and
improving recyclability.
Sustainable Plastics - August/September 2021

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