Building with waste: Sustainable thermal insulating mortars from recycled rigid foams

The increasing accumulation of plastic waste has intensified the need for sustainable recycling strategies that support the transition towards a circular economy. This work presents the development of eco-friendly thermal insulating mortars incorporating high volumes (>90 vol.%) of recycled rigid polyurethane (PU) and polystyrene (PS) foams as lightweight aggregates. The mortars are produced by combining recycled foam particles with Portland cement, water and 1 wt.% performanceenhancing additives, eliminating the need for conventional mineral aggregates.

Please find the full abstract below.