Natural Fibers Insulation Materials: Use of textile and agri-food waste in a circular economy perspective

Fibrous-based materials are among the most used for the thermal and acoustic insulation of building envelopes and among the ones with the best flexibility in use. In building construction, the demand for products with low environmental impact - in line with the Green Deal challenge of the European Community - is growing, but the building market is still mostly oriented towards traditional products, missing the many opportunities for using waste materials from existing industrial production. The paper presents the experimental results of new thermal and acoustic insulation products for building construction and interior design, based on previous experiences of the research group. They are entirely produced using waste sheep's wool as a "matrix" and other waste fibers, as "fillers". Proposed materials derive from textile and agro-industrial chains of Piedmont region and have no other uses, different from the thermal valorization as biomass. The panels have characteristics of rigidity, workability, and thermal conductivity that make them suitable for building envelope insulation.