The building sector is currently undergoing a process of change due to concerns about the sustainability of the construction industry. The application of circular economy criteria to develop new, more sustainable construction products has become one of the major challenges for the society of the future. This research advances towards the development of new lightened gypsum composites that incorporate waste from end-of-life tyres and recycled fibres from mineral wool thermal insulation in their composition. The results show how it is possible to reduce the consumption of the original raw materials by replacing them with recycled rubber granular particles, developing new construction products that are lighter, with better water resistance and greater thermal resistance. Additionally, it is shown that the incorporation of recycled fibres from rock wool and glass wool insulation is a good solution to improve the mechanical resistance of lightened gypsum composites, giving these construction and demolition wastes a second useful life by reincorporating them in the process of manufacturing new prefabricated housing products.
The environmental problems caused by industrial waste are of a universal nature. In this sense, achieving an adequate management of construction and demolition waste has become one of the great challenges of today’s society. This work studies the possibility of recovering mineral wool thermal insulation waste for its reincorporation into the manufacturing process of masonry mortar. To this end, an experimental campaign has been conducted with mortars made with natural aggregate and two types of recycled aggregates: concrete and mixed ceramic, in which mineral wool fibers are incorporated as a partial replacement of sand in percentages of 0%, 10% and 20%. The results show that, although the traditional mortars offer better technical performance, the mortars made with recycled aggregate present adequate viability for use on-site. Furthermore, it has been concluded that the incorporation of recycled mineral wool fibers in the mortar matrix decreases the thermal conductivity and shrinkage during the setting of these materials, increasing their mechanical flexural strength and durability.
The building sector is facing the challenge of transitioning to a more industrialized construction approach and is thus promoting the development of new materials that enable the production of lighter prefabricated products with enhanced thermal performance. This study conducts the physicochemical and mechanical characterization of a new plaster material intended for application in the building sector. The plaster material developed contains potassium polyacrylate and perlite in its composition and has been reinforced with wood, glass and polypropylene fibers to improve its physical and mechanical properties. The results demonstrate that the combined incorporation of potassium polyacrylate and expanded perlite leads to a decrease in density and thermal conductivity by 10.5% and 47%, respectively, compared to traditional plasters. In addition, the incorporation of reinforcement fibers in the plaster matrix, particularly glass fiber, improves the mechanical strength of the new material. The plaster composite developed for this research offers lightweight characteristics and improves the energy efficiency of the construction systems into which it can be integrated and is designed for use in prefabricated panels and plates especially. This progress represents a step towards more efficient industrialized construction.
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