Materials for the prefabrication of building partitions, agglomerated from secondary raw materials – MATRECBUD

“Materials for the prefabrication of building partitions, agglomerated from secondary raw materials, including demolition wood, textile and leather industries waste” (MATRECBUD)

Project co-financed by the President of the Łukasiewicz Center under Grant Agreement No. 1/Ł-ITD/CŁ/2021. Agreement number in the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Wood Technology Institute 1/CŁ/2021 (MATRECBUD)

Targeted subsidy amount:

• total budget: PLN 1,755,848.99
• co-financing from the targeted subsidy: PLN 1,207,578.00

Project duration: 01.04.2021 – 31.12.2023

Consortium:

• Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of  Technology (project leader)
• Łukasiewicz – Łódź Institute of Technology

The aim of the project is the development of multifunctional composite materials and products, in the form of panels and beams, produced from recycled materials (in particular renewable raw materials), including demolition wood, textile and leather industries waste, intended above all for the construction of houses and public utility facilities in technologies based on prefabrication. The project involves research on the rational and environmentally safe management of waste from leather and textile industries in combination with post-consumer wood.

The project will cover the following research issues: selection of secondary raw materials available on the local market with application potential in construction, production of composite materials from selected secondary raw materials, optimization of their production technology and examination of technical and functional characteristics. An important element of the project will also be the assessment of the environmental impact of the developed solutions.

The product will be multifunctional composite material with unique technical and operational properties, dedicated to the construction industry, including the construction of wooden houses.

The projects’ beneficiaries will be recyclers and companies manufacturing materials and products for the construction industry.

Justification of the project:
The dynamic development of construction and construction industries following the housing needs of societies, generates significant amounts of waste. Large amounts of waste that can be valuable recyclable materials are generated during demolition, renovation and modernization of buildings. Of the total amount of 2503 million tonnes of waste generated in the European Union, approximately 0.9 million tonnes, or approximately 35%, is attributed to construction. According to the World Bank, each year building materials account for half of the solid waste generated worldwide. The rational management of post-consumer raw materials and their re-use in construction, including wooden construction, is therefore an extremely important challenge for modern societies. The skillful use of such waste can significantly contribute to reducing the consumption of primary raw materials. The applicable EU directives emphasize the use of environmentally friendly secondary raw materials in construction facilities, which are a valuable source of material resources, reducing the stream of generated waste.

There are many ways of using various types of secondary raw materials, but it is still justified to conduct research and implementation works on new ecological methods of their management.

Description of the problem that the project solves:
The project is a response to the challenges faced by European entrepreneurs from the construction industry regarding the use of environmentally friendly raw materials and secondary materials in construction facilities and the construction of buildings that fit into the idea of ​​a circular economy (the so-called circular construction).

The need to implement a circular construction model, also known as circular construction, is a response to the problem of wasting raw materials and increasing environmental pollution. This model assumes the effective use of raw materials (substitution of energy-consuming materials, recirculation of resources) from extraction, through use, to the management of waste generated, for example, as a result of facility demolition. It is assumed that, in addition to the development of modern products with improved properties in line with the eco-tech trend, the project will fill the knowledge gap regarding the quantity and availability of recycled materials and will contribute to the stimulation of the recycling system, which currently constitutes a significant barrier to the circular use of resources.