Recycling of Kooltherm Phenolic Resin Insulation Boards

Rigid insulation foam is widely used in the construction sector, and is routinely incorporated into cavity walls, roof spaces, and under concrete floors. It is an excellent material for improving the thermal efficiency of buildings, and has excellent fire resistance and longevity. However, there are currently no methods for recycling insulation foams; once the foam has been broken up, it cannot be reprocessed because the foam structure is compromised, leaving landfill and combustion the only viable forms of disposal. Since insulation foams have an expected lifetime of at least 50 years, there has been little consideration to developing a sustainable end-of-life fate for such materials.

In this project, we will develop a method for the chemical recycling of phenolic resin insulation boards. Chemical recycling of polymeric materials affords new monomer which can be re-made into virgin polymer (in this case insulation boards), or else other chemical species that can be reused in other sectors. The successful development of chemical recycling of insulation boards will pave the way to a circular economy of insulation materials, making the construction sector greener and more sustainable by reducing waste and reusing materials rather than relying on fresh chemical feedstocks.