Costly emissions can be avoided
Formaldehyde and aldehyde emissions can be completely avoided if you switch to a formaldehyde free binder.
“Eliminating them turns into monetary savings, because emissions cost – anything over the limit means you have fines to pay”, says Damiano Della Lunga and explains that failure to comply could even lead to a complete stop of the plant depending on the situation. “Another advantage is that compliance creates advantages on the market. This was a driver for us. We wanted to introduce something new because the market is demanding it. Of course, our aim to innovate and be sustainable is the main driver. But clients today are asking for something renewable and bio-based, made from sustainably sourced and certified wood.”
So, in 2020 Damiano and his colleagues got in touch with the team at Stora Enso. They had already made innovative changes to the technology connected to the glass wool but were looking to combine it with innovations on other materials in their insulation.
“We compared NeoLigno® to the binding agent we were using and found it to be cost neutral while being compliant today and forward, regardless of future regulations on chemicals.”
NeoLigno® for both outdoor and indoor insulation
NeoLigno® is a thermosetting binder just like the resin which Damiano’s team used up to the end of last year. NeoLigno® however, sets at a much lower temperature than its predecessor.
“We are talking 20-30 degrees lower which will of course have a noticeable difference on budget level”, says Damiano.
Another really important factor is that NeoLigno® has been proven to work just as well for outdoor use, something that is not the case for many other bio-based binders.
“Many Bio-based binders work quite well, but one of the properties they lack is resistance to humidity and biological attacks. Meaning that in certain conditions and in storage where there is humidity, you can’t use it. So, producers using this type of binder has to have another option for their exterior insulation. This of course can be done, but you will have multiple logistics”, says Damiano.
Partnering up and creating a dialogue
Damiano and his team worked closely with Stora Enso’s technicians through the trials for professional insight on any issues connected to the chemistry of NeoLigno®.
“They were very helpful and this is important – having an attentive partner with a good dialogue. And this is not something you can take for granted.”
The trend to try to lower the levels of formaldehyde in resin was something Damiano has seen coming during recent years, so the new legislation did not come as a surprise at all.
“And now, we can pretty much predict that anything that is monitored today will be restricted. In my opinion, we will likely see a total ban of VOC emission at room temperatures for all aldehydes. And if you switch to NeoLigno® this will not affect you. It is below trace from everything. For other binders on the other hand, you will have to monitor and follow coming legislations.”
Damiano’s 6 step process
These are the six steps Damiano describes as their process. But it looks different for every producer. The main thing to remember according to Damiano is that you have to start by picking a strategy.
Step 1: Identifying the most promising formulation
We identified the best formulation of the binder with the DMA method (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis). We tested the properties of the binder by introducing stress on a sample and studying how it behaves with temperature for example. This is done before introducing the glass fiber. This creates curves and data that you can compare with other binders. So from different formulations we can select the one that is most promising.
Step 2 and 3: Implementation with different products
Since we produce insulation with different density and thickness – from panels of different sizes to rolls – we tested the formulation across our range. We also needed to see what happens when the products are rolled up, packaged, and stored for months. The results were very pleasing!
Step 4. Addressing the intense smell of trees
During production, NeoLigno® has an intense smell of wood. It doesn’t transfer to the final product, but to make the working environment better for our production team, we added a suppressant to reduce the intensity.
Step 5. Perfecting the formulation
We went back to the formulation stage and changed some very minor components of the formulation of the NeoLigno binder to address a few details.
Step 6. Taking care of the water and waste
When spraying glass wool fiber with a binding agent you will always have waste that is collected in water pools under the belt. When changing our formulation, we adjusted the composition of chemicals added to clarify the water. In this we learned that NeoLigno® also requires less chemicals to flocculate and separate from the water.
Read more: NeoLigno® Therm for Insulation - NeoLigno® by Stora Enso
