Foams

675,000 Tons of Polyurethane foam is put into landfill in the UK each year

PU Foam comes from many different sources:
Furniture, Bedding, Insulation, Packaging, Automotive components,
Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical and Construction

Recycling of PU foam is done in two primary ways: mechanical recycling, in which the material is reused in it current form and chemical recycling that takes the material back to its various chemical constituents

There has been some previous test in concrete mixes, which have shown potential for using PU foam for lightweight concrete. It has also been researched for thermal insulation in concrete.

Properties:  

light weight, flexible, sound absorption and heat retention.

Based on Properties what can this do?

• Fiber reinforcement
• Acoustic properties
• Light weight concrete
• High flexural strength

To what extent can it meet the projects aims?

To create an architectural façade system that will be made from a low carbon based concrete and use a waste stream that can act as a carbon sink to be used as a habitat for the growth of plants/ microbe / microorganisms.

• Permeability
• Large surface area for carbonation
• Growth on Façade
• All of this will need to be tested