EPD: Environmental Product Declaration
EPD: Environmental Product Declaration
This document is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for FOAMGLAS® slabs and elements, produced by Pittsburgh Corning Europe NV, verified by the Deutsches Institut Bauen und Umwelt (DIBU) according to ISO 14025 standards. It provides transparent environmental data to promote sustainable construction.
FOAMGLAS® products are insulation elements made primarily from recycled glass, including sand, dolomite, and lime, without binders. They include types such as W+F, T4+, T4, S3, Type F, Perinsul, and Perinsul SL, with densities ranging from 100 to 200 kg/m³, used to prevent thermal bridges in building insulation.
The LCA, conducted according to ISO 14040 standards, covers stages from raw material extraction to production and transport. It assesses environmental impacts and primary energy usage, which vary with slab density. Key metrics include global warming potential, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical oxidant formation.
The production involves melting raw materials in an electrode furnace, cooling, grinding, and foaming the glass powder, using certified green energy from hydropower. A new production site in the Czech Republic aims to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions.
FOAMGLAS® slabs are used for technical insulation in roofs, walls, and floors, packaged with PE-foil, and installed using adhesives. The product is safe to handle, with inert dust produced during sawing.
Technical characteristics include density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, and water absorption. The products meet various international standards and certifications, including ISO 9001 and EN 13167.
Production processes comply with environmental regulations, with wastewater treated and reused. Noise emissions are within limits, and no additional health protection measures are needed during production.
This EPD provides comprehensive data on the environmental performance of FOAMGLAS® products, supporting their use in sustainable construction practices.
FOAMGLAS® is used for insulation in various applications, including indoor walls and floors. Pittsburgh Corning Europe provides detailed installation guides for these applications.
Safety measures from the producer's guidelines should be followed. No negative environmental impacts are expected when FOAMGLAS® is installed according to the manufacturer's practices.
FOAMGLAS® does not release harmful substances during use. It is durable, resistant to moisture, frost, vermin, acids, and chemicals, and can support new cladding or waterproofing without removal.
FOAMGLAS® is classified as A1, indicating no contribution to fire or smoke development.
FOAMGLAS® can be recycled or used as backfill. If recycling is not possible, it can be disposed of safely. Packaging materials are thermally recycled.
The LCA covers production from raw material extraction to the packaged product. The primary energy demand is mainly due to melting and foaming processes. Renewable energy sources have been used to reduce emissions.
The energy demand varies with product density, with significant contributions from natural gas and renewable sources.
Waste is categorized into tailings, non-hazardous, and hazardous waste, with the majority being non-hazardous.
The environmental impact is assessed in terms of global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, and ozone depletion. The production process and raw material extraction contribute significantly to these impacts.
The document includes results from leaching tests conducted by the Institut für analytische Chemie and EMPA on FOAMGLAS® products. The tests involved CO2-saturated water and regular water to determine the content of various elements and substances. The results are compared against German waste regulation thresholds, showing that most elements were below detection limits, indicating low leaching potential.
A renewable energy certificate, certified by TÜV SÜD, was valid until December 31, 2008, and a RECS Certificate was valid for the year 2008.
The document is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for mineral insulation products, specifically FOAMGLAS®, following ISO 14025 standards. The declaration is based on a Product Category Rules (PCR) document reviewed by the DIBU advisory board, chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Wolf Reinhardt. The EPD was verified by Dr. Frank Werner.
The document references several standards and guidelines, including ISO 14020, ISO 14025, ISO 14040, and ISO 14044, which relate to environmental management and life cycle assessment. It also mentions the DIN EN 13167 standard for foam glass products.
The document is published by the Deutsches Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (DIBU) and includes contact details for both DIBU and Pittsburgh Corning Europe NV, the owner of the declaration.
Catalog excerpts
DIBU EPD Environmental Product Declaration according to ISO 14025 Pittsburgh Corning Europe NV Deutsches Institut Bauen und Umwelt www.bau-umwelt.com
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Short version Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program operator Deutsches Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. www.bau-umwelt.com Pittsburgh Corning Europe NV Albertkade, 1 B-3980 Tessenderlo Declaration Code FOAMGLAS® slabs and pre-cut shapes This declaration is an Environmental Product Declaration according to ISO 14025. It describes the environmental performance of construction products and aims at fostering sustainable construction with respect to health and environment. Construction Product In this verified declaration all relevant environmental data is made transparent. It is based on...
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Short version Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) FOAMGLAS slabs and pre-cut shapes are insulation elements produced predominantly from recycled glass, ® i.e. from sand, dolomite, and lime, without any addition of binders. The following FOAMGLAS products are declared: W+F (100 kg/m³) , T4+ (115 kg/ m³ density), T4 (120 kg/m³), S3 (130 kg/m³) and Type F (165 kg/m³) as well as Perinsul (165 kg/m³) and Perinsul SL (200 kg/m³) Product description FOAMGLAS -slabs are applied in buildings, construction works, technical insulation, as well as for building equipment. FOAMGLAS -slabs with densities...
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E This document is valid for FOAMGLAS®-boards and -elements. The LCA data was collected on site at Tessenderlo / Belgium. Product definition Product definition FOAMGLAS® slabs and pre-cut shapes are produced without any addition of binders from recycled glass (predominantly windshields), i.e. from sand, dolomite, and lime. The insulation elements consist of cellular glass with closed cell structure....
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E Product characteristics at delivery FOAMGLAS®-Products at the state of delivery Light products Technical characteristics Thermal conductivity λD (based on λ10 – measurements and λ90/90-calculation) Tensile strength perpendicular to faces – TR -(EN 1607) ≤ 0,5 (length & width) ≤ 1,0 (thickness) Water absorption long & short term Thermal expansion coefficient Resistance to water vapour µ (EN12524)...
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E ≤ 0,5 (length & width) ≤ 1,0 (thickness) Water absorption long & short term Thermal expansion coefficient Resistance to water vapour µ (EN12524) Specific heat The technical characteristics were measured according to the requirements of EN 13167: 2001/AC: 2005. other EPDs Fire safety Reaction to fire – class A1 ‘no contribution to fire’, according EN 13501-1:2007 and EC decision 96/603/EC. Construction...
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E Sodium carbonate Ferrous - Manganese oxide Availability of resources According to current knowledge, the basic materials from which FOAMGLAS® is produced are not considered as scarce resources. To begin with, the raw materials are weighed, ground up, mixed and melted in an electrode furnace at 1250°C. Application of energy via electrodes allows for a homogeneous molten mass. When the molten mass...
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Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Weigh batching (Recycling glass Solid glass (recycling material) Mqlten glass Plate glass Control room Heat exchanger Energy recovery Gallulatlng furnace BBO'C Annealing furnace Trim {polish ing/cutting/squaring) The complete electricity demand is met by certified green energy from Norwegian and Swiss Hydropower plants. The certificate is controlled by the Renewable Energy Certificate Systems (RECS) and TUV SUD (s. chapter 8). The following energy carriers and amounts are inputs to the product system....
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E For Pittsburgh Corning Europe a new production site, applying new technologies will be available in 2008 in the Czech Republic. The foaming process changes from discontinuous foaming of FOAMGLAS® slabs in separate troughs to continuous foaming. This process will be more efficient with respect to resource input and energy use and accordingly less emission output. The improved data can be received...
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E No release of substances as installed, (see chapter 1) Environmental and Environment: According to current knowledge no negative impacts can be expected on water, soil Health related imor air during intended use of FOAMGLAS®. pacts Health: According to recent German emission testing for indoor air quality, FOAMGLAS® is considered an insulation material for which no VOC or carcinogenic emissions have...
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DIBU- DIBU Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14025 FOAMGLAS® Product group: Mineral Insulation Products Owner of the declaration: Pittsburgh Corning Europe Declaration code: DIBU-PCE-11107-E System boundaries Production of basic components (pre-products) Energy provision The system boundaries include the production stage from raw material extraction to the packaged product at the gate (cradle to gate) In detail this includes: • Cut-off rule Transports and packing of basic components (pre-products) • FOAMGLAS®- production (energy, waste, emissions) Due to the manifold applications and...
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