Sustainable acoustic and thermal insulation materials from elastomeric waste residues

This study presents the data elements to develop a new processing route to transform elastomeric waste residue (particulates) into acoustic and thermal insulation materials that can compete with commercial products. The approach is to bind these grain and fibre particulates with a foaming polyurethane or a similar polymer, the chemistry of which can be manipulated to control the structure stiffness and the evolution of the foaming gas into open or closed cells. Here the study uses two examples of such residues, tyre and carpet shreds both composed of fibres trapping grains of either rubber or PVC. Compounds were made from these systems with different PU binders and the structural properties (density, porosity, air flow resistivity, tortuosity and stiffness) and performance properties (sound absorption, sound transmission, impact sound insulation and thermal conductivity) were measured as a function of binder loading and chemistry. The data obtained show clearly that performance can be tailored by tailoring structural properties resulting with materials that match or even outperform commercial products. The data set obtained here can be usefully exploited with available acoustic and thermal insulation materials model to take the approach further and extended to other waste systems.

► We manufactured acoustic and insulation materials using waste elastomer residues and foaming PU binders.
► We measured their porosity, tortuosity, air flow resistivity and stiffness and related these to measured sound absorption and transmission, impact sound insulation and thermal conductivity impact.
► Data show that the materials we made are not only sustainable but also compete in performance with current commercial products.