Verwertungsstrategien für Wärmedämmverbundsysteme mit expandiertem Polystyrol

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2024年7月19日

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E. von Lützau,
S. Flamme,
G. Walter

摘要

External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) consist of a composite of mineral and insulating components and have been used since the 1960s, mainly with expanded polystyrene (EPS) as the insulating material. Due to the long service life of ETICS, waste only accumulates decades after installation. An increase in the amount of ETICS waste can currently be observed in Germany, which will continue for several decades to come.

However, the current disposal options for this waste are limited. Municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI), which currently represent the status quo for disposal, are working at full capacity and their plant technology is not designed for this waste. This increases the need to develop new recycling routes for ETICS waste containing EPS. Furthermore, current legal provisions, such as the Circular Economy Act, require material recycling.

Two promising alternative disposal strategies are material and energy recovery in cement plants and the physical-chemical recycling of EPS by PolyStyreneLoop. In cement plants, the high calorific value of EPS can be utilized as a secondary fuel to generate energy. The mineral component serves as a raw material substitute and is incorporated into the cement clinker, thus saving valuable primary resources. Extensive investigations and initial large-scale trials have confirmed the technical feasibility.

PolyStyreneLoop is primarily aimed at recycling EPS contained in ETICS. Although this approach is not yet established, it could represent a comprehensive disposal solution in the future in combination with the recycling of mineral ETICS components in cement plants.

Against this background, alternative recycling strategies were evaluated at IWARU as a part of a research project with the aid of modelling with regard to their ecological and economic benefits compared to the status quo. The modelling shows that the strategies mentioned offer advantages from both an ecological and economic point of view.