At the end of 2012, heads and journalists of leading construction and architectural media, including the Archi. Ru portal, paid a business visit to Germany to study the German experience in the use of expanded polystyrene and its role in modern construction practice and energy saving in Europe.
It is not a secret for anyone that the Russian consumer in its mass is still far from the economy of energy saving, and not everyone will be able to understand correctly the properties of the insulation. All the more interesting are the experiences and opinions of people who have dealt with this building material for several decades in "environmentally friendly" Germany. The conversation was with the owner of a construction company, an expert at the Foam Competence Center at the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce, as well as at the Leipzig City Hall, with the head of the city planning and at the same time the chairman of the EEUF (European Energy Saving and Environment Forum).
And first - a few facts about expanded polystyrene
1. With expanded polystyrene – for life!
In our common view, expanded polystyrene is white "foam balls".
All women meet with expanded polystyrene almost every day - when buying prepackaged vegetables, fruits, fish and much more: packaging - containers are made of expanded polystyrene. Doctors also "meet" with expanded polystyrene every day: these are the same containers and containers for medical purposes. And finally, we all eat and drink different goodies at picnics from - that's right: disposable tableware made from Styrofoam.
2. And it turned out that expanded polystyrene – it is a wonderful thermal insulation material. It is 98% air and uses its thermal conductivity to store and transfer heat. 12 cm of expanded polystyrene for thermal protection is equivalent to 5.33 m of reinforced concrete.
3. How is heat resistance formed and who guarantees us harmlessness?
That was quite clear about the production of expanded polystyrene: we take small balls of polystyrene, the size of coarse table salt, fill it with pentane (condensed natural gas that is safe for humans) and heat it with steam. There is a multiple increase (foaming), each granule is "inflated" by 20-50 times and under the influence of hot steam the swollen balls adhere - sinter, forming a light and unique, strong, compression-resistant material that retains its physical properties. And the air inside is just a heat insulator. (But all this is produced according to ISO and meets strict standards for the ecology of production and the ecology of materials for construction in countries such as Germany, France, Denmark, other countries and also in Russia).
4.… and tell us more about environmental friendliness and heat resistance
It is important to note that the styrene content in the finished product is only 0.002 mg / m3, which is less than 1% of the volume of the finished product! The depolymerization of styrene can indeed proceed at temperatures above 320C, however, under normal operating conditions from -40C to + 70C, styrene will never oxidize.
5. What do they have (in Europe) and what do we have (in Russia)
In Europe, among other thermal insulation materials, expanded polystyrene occupies a niche of 26% (according to Sinergy Consulting). Germany, France and Italy are the leaders in the consumption of expanded polystyrene. The statistics of the European Association Association pour la promotion du PSE dans la construction showed that 8 out of 10 private houses in Europe are insulated with high-quality foam and molded polystyrene. In Germany, where environmental friendliness and energy efficiency are mandatory characteristics of construction and repair, the share of consumption of expanded polystyrene reaches 4 kg per person, while in Russia it does not even reach 1 kg.
(… why are we so afraid of him at the construction site? He doesn't bite:-)
6. Energy-saving technologies in Germany are inconceivable without expanded polystyrene
The issues of durability, moisture resistance and environmental friendliness of expanded polystyrene, of concern to the Russian construction community, are no longer raised in Germany. It is from these positions that expanded polystyrene is considered the most acceptable for use. The share of expanded polystyrene among other insulation materials in Germany is 28%. A large-scale refurbishment of the facades of panel houses, which took place in Germany in the wake of the energy crisis of the 70s, became the best test site for expanded polystyrene and did not reveal any significant material shortcomings. Moreover, the quality of building materials has only improved over 40 years, and production control and eco-standards for the use of materials in construction have only become stricter.
The best illustration of this was the new residential areas of Leipzig with expanded polystyrene facade insulation, as well as the comments of authoritative experts who were happy to share their experiences
7. Site meetings and builder's opinion: Mr. Schlosser, company owner and professional builder with 30 years of experience
The construction company "Schlosserbau Ltd." builds mainly private cottages or low-rise cooperative houses for living in the suburbs of Leipzig. Mr. Schlosser showed two houses, the facade insulation of which was carried out using traditional expanded polystyrene.
Moreover, one house is still under construction - just finishing the facade cladding with 160 mm expanded polystyrene, and the insulation of the foundation and the basement is done using molded expanded polystyrene of increased strength and moisture resistance. According to the owner of the Schlosserbau company, a house insulated using this technology in Germany is considered economically profitable in operation and, therefore, is easily sold even at a relatively high price.
And the second house, which was renovated in 1992, was insulated with expanded polystyrene along the facade, and then plastered. Surprisingly, not a single crack has appeared on the facade in 20 years! The pitched roof attic on this building is also insulated with expanded polystyrene.
8. Presentation on expanded polystyrene and discussion at the Competence Center for Styrofoam at the Leipzig Chamber of Crafts: specialist, consultant and associate professor, expert: Mr. Gert Schmidt
Expert at the Center of Competence for Foam Plastics (at the Center for Advanced Studies of the Chamber of Commerce in Leipzig) Gert Schmidt at a meeting in the Chamber of Commerce said that such a widespread use of expanded polystyrene for facade insulation (up to 90%) is explained by the obvious - for German construction specialists - the benefit from using this material: "Despite the initial rise in the cost of construction, - explained Mr. Schmidt, - the costs are recouped in the first 10 years." At the same time, the state not only sets requirements for the energy efficiency of construction projects (the thickness of expanded polystyrene over the past few years has grown from 30 to 160 cm), but also encourages the introduction of modern energy-saving technologies by introducing a system of benefits and subsidies for conscious builders, owners and tenants.
9. About urban planning and energy policy in the Leipzig City Hall: Dr. Gerhard Reckzigel, City Planning Department and Chairman of the EEUF (European Energy Saving and Environment Forum)
Commenting on the environmental characteristics of expanded polystyrene, Dr. Gerhard Reckzigel, Head of the City Planning Department and Chairman of the EEUF (European Energy Conservation and Environment Forum) stressed that even the "extreme green" activists who advocate the use of purely organic and natural materials (wool, hay, cellulose, etc.) recognize that, undergoing aggressive chemical treatment, such materials become much more hazardous and less environmentally friendly than synthetically created polystyrene foam. In addition, their durability and fire hazard are not well understood."A balanced approach and a sober analysis of all the pros and cons leads to the conclusion that there is currently no alternative to expanded polystyrene in terms of quality and cost," concluded Dr. Reckzigel.
On a large model of Leipzig, Dr. Reckzigel showed areas of the city, which in the early 90s were massively sanitized and insulated with expanded polystyrene and new buildings of the 2000s, where insulation with expanded polystyrene was included in the projects. In the historical center of the city, plaster facade systems with insulation with expanded polystyrene are successfully used where it is not limited by the conditions of reconstruction of buildings from the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Therefore, during reconstruction on such buildings, all walls are insulated with expanded polystyrene, except for the front ones.
It so happened that on a trip to Germany, out of 7 journalists there were: 3 candidates of sciences - technical and economic and one scientific editor (this is how it happens in post-perestroika Russia). Therefore, it turned out that "ours" in Leipzig were on an equal footing with the builders and experts, throwing them corrosive and deep questions, and the dialogue turned out to be professionally objective and fruitful.
10. Deputy editor-in-chief of the publishing house « COMPOSITE XXI century » , candidate of technical sciences Igor Kopylov:
“My ideas about expanded polystyrene have not changed, but they gained additional confirmation. It is a key material in facade insulation in Germany. As it turned out, there are two main reasons. First: the economic benefit from the use of expanded polystyrene. As soon as the Germans were convinced that they have the opportunity to save up to 40% (about 40-60 euros) of the cost of 1 sq. m of the insulated facade, without losing the quality, safety or durability of the system, expanded polystyrene has become an almost uncontested material. For the same reason, in the country you will hardly see ventilated facades on residential buildings: this system is considered too expensive for a large-scale installation and is used only on image, public construction sites. The second reason is the energy efficiency of expanded polystyrene, which allows the cost of insulation to pay off in 10 years"
11. Associate Professor MGSU, Deputy. editor-in-chief of the journal « Modern house » , Candidate of Technical Sciences Oleg Sanko:
“The objectively strong consumer qualities of expanded polystyrene in the conditions of law-abiding Germany acquired additional advantages. First of all, the fundamental absence of low-grade (most often counterfeit) material does not cast a shadow on the quality of the final result. That often happens in our homeland.
The second aspect that surprises Russian builders to the point of distrust is the requirements for the professional training of polystyrene installers. To obtain a permit certificate, a builder must complete three (3 years) specialized training. It is not surprising that in such technological conditions the end result of insulation with polystyrene is close to the calculated, and, therefore, optimal."
12. Director of the Association of Producers and Suppliers of expanded polystyrene, Candidate of Economic Sciences Yuri Savkin:
“The prudent use of natural resources, financial resources, time and effort inherent in the Germans is admirable. Germany as the transfer of experience was not chosen by chance: it was in this country that expanded polystyrene was invented, here its properties were thoroughly studied, and here its most widespread use took place: out of 500 million sq. m sanitized since the 60s. facades, about 90% - insulated with expanded polystyrene. Of course, we are talking about the use of quality, "legal" material. However, they didn’t seem to have heard of another expanded polystyrene.
Even with regard to "green building" the Germans take a surprisingly balanced position: there is no point in striving for the use of exclusively natural materials, if their use without aggressive chemical treatment is still impossible. Instead, it is necessary to further improve the production of well-proven materials, albeit of polymer origin.
The beauty, well-groomed and comfort of Germany inspire sympathy and trust in those building materials that are in demand in this country."
And finally, good news about « anti-crisis » expanded polystyrene for a building complex and housing and communal services: As part of the launch of the second line for the production of expanded polystyrene at the SIBUR-Khimprom plant in Perm, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the government to create conditions for the active use of energy-saving expanded polystyrene in the construction industry and housing and communal services.
“Very often we heat the street and pay for it out of our own pocket. In Russia, 1 thousand sq. m, let me remind you, almost 20 tons of oil equivalent is consumed, and in other countries with a comparable climate such as Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, this figure is, in fact, 2 times less. This is the indicator we should strive for. Expanded polystyrene is a very popular product on the market in our country, and especially in other countries. Of course, we still have to implement it,”Medvedev said. Construction and housing and communal services are those industries where the energy-saving properties of this material can be fully manifested. ».
Energy efficient technologies based on expanded polystyrene can reduce heating costs in buildings and save the environment
Companies - manufacturers offer builders and architects ready-made developed technological solutions based on the heat and energy-saving properties of expanded polystyrene for building envelopes and indoors: foundations, facades, blood, frame housing, floors, partitions.
photo: Elena Sycheva. Igor Kopylov.
