It owes much of its noise blocking ability to its density and lack of air pockets for sound to travel in. More on this is well explained in this article.Ĭellulose is also a very effective acoustic insulator compared to glass wool batts. Where cellulose insulation differs from other insulation materials, is at preventing thermal transfer. Installed at a high density, this blown-in insulation leaves no air pockets left when installed correctly. Depending on the manufacturer, some add an adhesive to help the insulation cling together and prevent settling. Paper that would otherwise end up as landfill is pulverised into smaller fibres and treated, typically with boric acid and borax as fire and pest retardants – both very common products with very low environmental impacts. Not in Australia.Ĭellulose insulation is mostly made from recycled paper, which means it’s one of the most environmentally friendly insulation options on the market. So, where’s the catch? Unfortunately, Earthwool by Knauf Insulation is made in their factories in Russia, USA, UK and other countries. Earthwool is made using up to 80% recycled content glass and is 100% recyclable. ECOSE Technology reduces binder embodied energy and contains no added phenol, formaldehyde, acrylics or artificial colours. This resin is used to bond the fibres together.Įarthwool Wall batts by Knauf are different – made using recycled glass and with ECOSE® Technology, a revolutionary binder based on rapidly renewable materials instead of petrochemical-based resins. There are different products of glass wool currently available on the Australian market and we have discovered that most of them have 2 – 16% heat-cured phenol-formaldehyde resin. We always prefer working with a domestically made product over an imported one! Glass is resourced and processed in Australia which is a big bonus. Glass wool products are generally from recycled glass and the manufacturing is cleaner and produces less carbon than the manufacture of mineral wool. I don’t know much about melting rocks but it does not seem like the cleanest and environment-friendly process. The rocks are melted in a furnace, then spun into fibres and processed in different ways to produce a range of products. My research tells me that Rockwool is made from rock, basalt, anorthosite and carbonates, in a man-made process somewhat similar to the way lava is made naturally in volcanos. It also has exceptional fire performance characteristics and is effective even at very high temperatures. Mineral wool offers excellent thermal and acoustic properties. Yes, I am using the quotation marks here, because I was not able to find any information on what this treatment consists of. On top of this issue, sheep wool is also treated at scouring stage to resist moth, mildew and fire with an ‘environmentally friendly retardant’. Should such product be used inside of our walls, in a country where the risk of fire is very real, anytime? This melt fibre is used as a binder fibre in blends with other fibre materials. The recycled content of sheep wool hybrid is usually between 80% to 85%, mixed with 15% to 20% Melty fibre – a polyolefin melt fibre that is a thermoplastic polymer which melts when exposed to heat. Mixed materials are very hard to recycle or dispose of properly. Unfortunately, this recycled and precious resource is mixed with synthetic fibres which makes the product un-compostable and in reality, un-recyclable. The wool content is a by-product of local woollen carpet manufacture – waste that was otherwise destined for landfill. The energy used to produce sheep wool hybrid is very low when compared to synthetic fibres such as glass wool or polyester and it is safe to install and handle without safety gear. There are many benefits of sheep wool – it is breathable and allows the transportation of moisture out of the building envelope, protecting timber structures from condensation.
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