WO2024100595A1

WO2024100595A1 - Process for the production of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels starting from recovered materials from the construction field, wool and waste from leather and hide processing

Info

Publication number: WO2024100595A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/061330
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Bertolotto; Lorenzo BERTOLOTTO
Original assignee: Humgremet Lda
Current assignee: Humgremet Lda
Priority date: 2022-11-09
Filing date: 2023-11-09
Publication date: 2024-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-09

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the production of panels characterized by sound-absorbing and heat-insulating properties, where recovered materials from other sources and which otherwise would be disposed of as waste are reused.

Description

"Process for the production of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels starting from recovered materials from the construction field, wool and waste from leather and hide processing"

DESCRIPTION

The present invention applies to the construction field as the final destination for the product of the invention, but it is "upstream" in the field of waste collection, sorting and management at three distinct sources :

- waste from location demolition;

- industrial waste ;

- waste from OFMSW squeezing .

Among the increasingly serious problems associated with waste sorting and recovery activities it is the heavy environmental pollution caused by the traditional waste management activities , such as landfills and incinerators .

The cost of these activities is not negligible , nor is the cost for transporting the materials to these sites .

In addition, the excessive use of incinerators leads to an increase in potentially toxic emissions and, of course , carbon dioxide .

Therefore , there is a need on the one hand, to find ways to dispose of waste products which still have production potential and, on the other, to enhance the value of the local economy products , especially for waste from these three sources , which waste represents polluting hazards and high disposal costs . Summary of the invention

The authors of the present invention have surprisingly found that it is possible to use waste materials to be recovered downstream of recovery and recycling operations , which materials almost have no value and are recovered through suitable management of waste especially downstream of the known recovery operations for the most noble materials , to obtain enhanced products with and by the waste of this waste , as we can define the components of the present invention, represented by sound-absorbing and heat- insulating panels with a high added value , as well as reinforcement boards for construction, and obtain MODULAR PUZZLES from the panels or boards by cutting the panels or boards with a press , in the shape of PUZZLES (male- female ) .

Obj ect of the invention

In a first obj ect , the present invention describes a process for the preparation of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels .

The sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels obtained with the described process represent a second obj ect of the present invention .

Reinforcement boards obtained from the same panels represent a further obj ect of the present invention .

The use of dry recoverable materials from three sources which do not interact in the world of recycling, for making sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels is a third obj ect of the present invention, and this obj ect includes the production of construction boards which today are generally made of wood and contribute to the generation of C0₂. The term " sources or origins which do not interact" means that there are three industries managed everywhere by three di f ferent subj ects , where each one disposes of its own waste from sorting/recycling either at the incinerator or in the landfill , but never has anyone thought about tracking this waste from each of these three individual sources/origins to obtain products .

Detailed description of the invention

In accordance with the present invention, "dry recoverable materials" means a set of non-polluting, hyper-heterogeneous waste materials .

Such dry recoverable materials include material of various origins .

According to a first aspect of the invention, these materials include : the inert residue obtained by squeezing the OFMSW ( Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste ) ;

Such residue comprises about 5- 15% by weight of paper, plastic, wood, metal residues . the residue from the sorting of industrial waste consisting of fine grade and plastics , polystyrene , paper and paper materials , fabrics and wood, which cannot be destined to recycle ; the residue of the pre-demolition and/or renovation of home interiors , which cannot be destined to recycle .

This residue can, for example , include wood ( from parquet flooring or furniture ) , plastics ( from fixtures , carpets ) , insulating materials , plasterboard, small ferrous pieces , paper items . For the purposes of the present invention, such dry recoverable materials represent one of the components of the present invention .

The further components which have binding, enveloping and optimally heat-insulating fibrous features are represented by : a ) leather goods waste and waste obtained from leather processing, which are disposed of in incinerators or landfills

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, such waste is defined by the code : CER 040108 .

This waste is added in an amount of about 1 % by weight ( total weight ) .

For the purposes of the present invention, such waste must be reduced into pieces having dimensions of about 5 mm . b ) wool

For the purposes of the present invention, such wool is preferably from sheep and, even more preferably, from dairy and meat sheep .

According to a particular aspect of the invention, these products fall within the special waste in category 3 .

This waste is added in an amount of about 1 - 1 . 5 and preferably 1 . 2 % by weight ( total weight ) .

For the purposes of the present invention, the wool must be washed and subsequently shredded, for example with a special industrial cutter, so that the fibers have a length of 4 -5 mm .

It should be noted that sheep' s wool is the only component in the MIX which is purchased because the present invention uses wool due to its technical features and to contribute to the field of sheep farming; today shepherds pay to dispose of wool . This purchase has a social-environmental implication as though it were sel f-sustainment for stimulating sheep farming as the defense of mountain pastures which, i f kept alive , avoid hydrogeological mountain and valley catastrophes due to the minerali zation of the land and unexpected weather events . c ) rock and glass wool .

For the purposes of the present invention, the wool must be shredded, for example with a special industrial cutter, so that the fibers have a length of 4-5 mm .

For the purposes of the present invention, rock and glass wool derives from the recycling of rock and glass wool used as insulation for walls and ceilings . d) gypsum deriving from the recovery of plasterboard mainly used for room partitions .

Such further component can in fact be added separately from the present one obtained from the pre-demolition and/or renovation residue of home interiors should the quantities from demolition not be suf ficient .

Gypsum was included for its thermal and sound ability, as well as its function in the mixture as filler and adj uvant of the mixing process .

For the purposes of the present invention, this material is crushed, for example by means of a hammer mill , so as to have dimensions of less than 5 mm .

The four components indicated above are used as basic material for the production of panels according to the process of the present invention described below, precisely due to the physical features of the same four components.

In accordance with a first object, a process for the preparation of the sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels, boards and puzzles of the invention is described.

The process includes the use of the components described above.

In particular, a process for the preparation of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels, boards and puzzles is described, which includes the steps of:

- mixing components represented by: dry recoverable materials, wool, leather goods waste, gypsum (obtained from the recovery of plasterboard) ; stratifying these components with the aid of appropriate biological fillers, and specifically ANENZY earthworm Humus (Paneco Ambiente S.r.l.) which is completely humidified and dried at 11-13% humidity, the feature of which,

- aggregating said components with suitable wood-based resins;

- forming said panels.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the process described includes more in detail the steps of:

1 - crushing dry recoverable materials;

2 - washing and shredding wool, rock and glass wool;

3 - shredding leather goods waste, crushing gypsum;

4 - mixing the dry waste obtained from step 1) with the shredded wool in step 2) and with the shredded leather goods and gypsum waste in step 3 ) ;

5 sanitization; 6 - micro-stratification of the "components";

7 - aggregating the "components";

8 - forming the integral press bed or with lateral paper support for the panel.

A step 9) of further activities can also be carried out, for example, to pack them, sort them on pallets and store them.

For the purposes of the present invention, in particular, step 1) is carried out up to an appropriate particle size, which is an important factor because this particle size results in a perfect homogeneity of the mix aiming to achieve all the thermal, aphonic, and structural features as well as the robustness features sought in the present invention for boards and puzzles.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, this particle size is preferably less than 5 mm.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, a hammer mill is used for this purpose.

For the purposes of the present invention, the washing in step 2) is carried out in order to make the (sheep) wool clean, free of pollutants .

For this purpose, suitable anionic surfactants known in the field can be used for processing the wool.

The wool is then shredded to a suitable size.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the wool and the rock and glass wool are shredded to a fiber size of about 4-5 mm.

An industrial cutter can be used for this purpose.

For the purposes of the present invention, in step 3) the leather waste is shredded to a suitable size below 5 mm. In a preferred aspect, the crushing/shredding is carried out until small pieces having dimensions of about 5 mm are obtained.

An industrial cutter can be used for this purpose.

Similarly, the gypsum-based material deriving from the recovery of plasterboard is shredded to a size below about 5 mm.

A hammer mill can be used for this.

According to an alternative aspect of the present invention, the components, or only some of them, can be mixed together according to step 4) described below and subsequently crushed/shredded appropriately according to the methods and up to the desired size as indicated above.

As regards to step 4) of the process of the present invention, this provides for the three macrocomponents: dry recoverable materials, wool and leather goods waste, gypsum deriving from the recovery of plasterboard, being mixed together in an appropriate proportion .

For the purposes of the present invention, therefore, they are preferably mixed in the following weight ratio:

100 dry recoverable materials: 1.2 sheep's wool: 5 glass wool:

5 rock wool: 1 leather: 5 gypsum deriving from the recovery of plasterboard .

The aim of the mixing is to make the distribution of the different components homogeneous, especially from the point of view of the particle size and length of the fibers.

In step 5) of sanitization, suitable products for reducing bacterial, virus and fungal contamination are used. The purpose of sanitization is to prevent the formation of mold and bad odors, as well as to prevent the deterioration of the properties of the final panel.

In particular, a mixture containing amphoteric surfactants (preferably at a concentration <10%) , saturated and unsaturated fatty acids of vegetable origin (1-10%) , polyglyceryl-6-carylate, polyglyceryl-4-caprate can be used for this purpose, and possibly one or more of: citronellol, linalool, limonene.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the sanitizing process described by the Italian Patent Application 102016000022387 can be used.

According to a preferred aspect, sanitization is achieved by using the product Extrafix® Professional (Paneco Ambiente, CUNEO, ITALY) .

For the purposes of the present invention, a filler is used in step 6) of microstratification.

The filler performs the functions of making the product mixture homogeneous, filling it, optimizing the sound- absorbing, heatinsulating, hygroscopic, vibration-absorbing properties, damping electrostaticity and limiting the passage of radionuclides.

According to a particular aspect of the present invention, this filler comprises dried vegetable organic substances, zeolites, dried filamentous algae, or mixtures thereof.

Namely, 100% of this filler consists of: 50% vegetable organic substances combined and dried to about 13% relative humidity forming the product Anenzy Biotek®; 25% fibrous redulites, preferably of the natrolite and erionite type, also at 50%; 25% brown filamentous algae of the Sargassum type . These materials are added in the form o f microni zed powder .

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the product Anenzy Biotek® ( Paneco Ambiente Sri , Cuneo ) is used for this purpose .

This product is dry sprayed .

During the production process , the necessary components can also be added to make the product fireproof according to regulations .

Nebuli zation is preferably carried out according to the methods of the Patent Application 102016000022387 (Marcopolo Engineering SpA) .

In step 7 ) , the aggregation of the components is preferably obtained with natural lignin resin .

The purpose of the resins is to aggregate and glue together the components of the obtained mixture .

For the purposes of the present invention, the resin used is preferably lignin .

These resins are sprayed onto the moist material .

In step 8 ) , the panels are prepared starting from the mixture thus obtained, which is homogeneously spread with the right thickness onto the MOLD SUPPORT PLATE which then moves to the press .

During the preparation of the panels , dry, powder resins are also introduced and this , for example , occurs during the step of mixing the di f ferent components , said dry resin then performing its binding and gluing function when the panel is formed and hot pressed, the resin melts and binds to all the components . For the purposes of the present invention, the panels are obtained by hot pressing under pressure with a suitable press in the MOLD SUPPORT PLATE .

The panels obtained can have dimensions of about 1 m X 1 m or 1 m X 2 m .

The panels obtained can have a thickness of 1-2 cm or even 3 cm or greater thicknesses depending on the needs .

For the preparation of the reinforcement boards , the thickness is about 3 cm .

In accordance with a second obj ect , sound-absorbing and heatinsulating panel s obtained with the process of the invention are described .

By coupling these panels on the sides with cardboard sheets , panels are obtained which can be used in place of the known plasterboard panels to make walls and partitions .

In this case , the cardboard sheets are placed one below, on the mold support plate , then a layer of resin is applied, and then the already pressed panel is placed; the same applies to the free side where the cardboard sheet with the resin is placed; finally, the hot pressing is performed . All the operations are carried out in an automated manner by the pressing lines .

Alternatively, according to an aspect of the present invention, such panels can be coupled with thermoplastic material , for example first into meshes and then into sheets , obtaining reinforcement boards ( formworks ) .

The glass fiber meshes are very fine synthetic nets which are already used in construction instead of or in addition to reinforcement iron, said mesh can be of the glass fiber net type, 70 gr/m² Eda type to SBERNA (MANTOVA, ITALY) .

It is spread over the two sides of the board with the following specifications :

1. First the reinforced non-slip plastic or fabric sheet is placed, on the mold support plate, with a specific resin coating which then retains all the next components, always due to the hot pressing;

2. Then the glass fiber net is placed;

3. Then the component is well distributed in a homogeneous manner and with the right height;

4. Then the glass fiber net is placed again;

5. Then a new coating of resins equal to the previous one is applied;

6. Finally, the reinforced non-slip plastic or fabric sheet is placed. Said synthetic nets, plastic and synthetic fabric sheets are all produced from recycled materials.

The six coupling steps described above occur all in an automated manner by means of the pressing line.

According to one aspect of the invention, the panels obtained can have dimensions of about l m X l m or l m X 2 m, like the panels coupled with cardboard; the panels coupled for use as reinforcement boards, on the other hand, can have a size of about 0.5 m x 2 m.

According to one aspect of the invention, the panels obtained can have a thickness of 1-2 cm or even 3 cm or greater thicknesses depending on the needs; the same thicknesses can be used for making panels to be used in place of the plasterboard panels. For the reinforcement boards , on the other hand, the thickness is about 3 cm .

The panels obtained according to the present invention have a weight from about 150 kg/m³ to about 300 kg/m³, while the panels modi fied for use as reinforcement boards have a weight of about 300- 400 kg/m³.

The panels are further used to form PUZZLES with di f ferent si zes , e . g . , 25 cm x 25 cm or 50 cm x 50 cm to be used for various furnishing compositions , building recoverable trade fair booths , wall coatings or removable floors . Said PUZZLES are produced with a press for cutting the panels and especially the boards .

In particular, the panels can be intact or can be subsequently equipped with a replacement lateral support , for example of the plasterboard type .

As described above, the panels used as reinforcement boards , on the other hand, can comprise the two side walls ( sandwich type ) with synthetic fiberglass net and then using a thermoplastic or synthetic sheet made of non-slip fabric, preferably obtained with recycled glass/plastic materials , all overlapping layers treated with speci fic resins to replace the known reinforcement boards ( formworks ) .

The panels obtained thanks to the present invention can comprise the two side walls ( sandwich type ) to replace the plasterboard panels which use gypsum, which is well known for its high extraction, processing, storage and transportation costs . The coating can be of the paper type , preferably recovered, or it can be a f abric/non-woven fabric, preferably recovered, or other coating suitable for this purpose , always preferably recovered .

A third obj ect describes the use of dry recoverable materials for the production of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels .

A further obj ect describes the use of leather and/or waste from processing leather and/or hides , sheep ' s wool and glass and rock wool , gypsum deriving from the recovery of plasterboard - it also not being hazardous waste - for the production of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels .

The applications of the sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels of the invention are described in further obj ects of the invention .

According to a first application, the panels of the invention can be used for making interior insulating walls or sub- floors .

Alternatively, they can be used as an alternative to plasterboard for the construction or replacement of walls or interior partitions .

According to the present invention, reinforcement boards for building constructions ( formworks ) can be made with the panels provided with coupled sandwich-type sides reinforced with recycled glass fiber nets .

The numerous advantages of fered by the present invention are evident from the above description .

In particular, the process of the invention provides public and private companies operating in the enhancement and/or disposal of waste with a method with low impacts and costs which is able to act in parallel and integrated with the recovery activities of the most valuable parts of waste .

In particular, thanks to the recovery of hyper-heterogeneous material , the volume of waste to be sent to landfills or incinerators is reduced .

The panels obtained thanks to the present invention include the following characteristics : they absorb vibrations , thus contributing to the sound-absorbing properties , reduce electrostaticity, stabili ze the humidity of the environments , limit the di f fusion of radionuclides , create an obstacle to pathogenic viruses and microbes .

The panels and reinforcement boards produced according to the present invention are then completely recyclable several times .

The process for the production of the panels and the reinforcement boards of the invention is economical ; this , combined with the fact that the starting materials are "poor" materials , means that the panels obtained are inexpensive .

Last but not least , the enhancement of raw materials of low or very low economic value contributes signi ficantly to the enrichment and maintenance of local communities , which would otherwise be destined to disappear .

The present invention is dedicated in particular to the delicate sector of sheep ' s wool , with the aim of promoting the activity of dairy or meat sheep farms , which produce less valuable wool , and therefore lack an attractive market . There are proj ects that address these issues and in which the present invention is well positioned ( Proj ect LI FE18 NAT/ IT/ 000972 - LI FE Wol fAlps EU) .

This involvement of hilly, pre- and mountain sheep and goat farming, together with the obj ective of contributing positively to the recovery of li fe , which over the centuries has characteri zed these areas which are less favorable to li fe and work but are very important to promoting hydrogeological stability, typi fies and characteri zes the present invention with positive ef fects on the economic return of the hills and mountains , the vitality of the flora/ fauna and micro- f lora/micro- f auna . It especially preserves mountain hydrogeology with live pastures to mitigate downstream movements and floods .

As regards to the use of glass and rock wool , the use described by the present invention makes it possible to avoid landfilling this waste ( thus contributing to a saving of about 150 euros/t ) by finding an alternative and valori zing destination for it .

This use results in several further advantages , as the glass and rock wool perform the additional function of binder and filler among all the other components of the panel , gives strength and resistance to loads for the reinforcement boards and increases the sound-absorbing and heat-insulating properties .

The products obtained with the present invention meet the need to provide the market and consumers with products that fall within the circular economy chain and that can have socially and ethically positive implications . Furthermore , relying to a large extent on the recovery and recycling of materials exclusively from this waste deriving from three di f ferent sources ( dry from pressing the OFMSW, waste from sorting industrial waste and waste from interior demolition) - three industries which do not communicate and above all are waste of the waste - the present invention, by using this waste , allows the production of carbon dioxide to be reduced, thus avoiding, for the production of construction panels , boards and puz zles , raw materials from being used, the production of which generates CO2 , thus contributing to an environmental benefit as well .

Again, from the viewpoint of a benefit to the environment , the reduction of carbon dioxide , especially from fossil sources , which is calculated by the relative institutions or contracting institutions in tons of saved or not saved CO2 , today plays a fundamental role . This already occurs when a company must build social works or new production plants or renew existing ones or start producing items obtained completely with waste recycling .

An appraisal on the values of CO2 savings is now part of the due diligence required for authori zations by authorities , and the world of finance now evaluates this aspect by comparing new environmentally- f riendly investments with current operations and between the various systems and/or machinery for which financing is required, i . e . , being environmentally- f riendly with equal technical and economic values results in the environmentally friendly-product such as those of the present invention, winning .

The present invention therefore fully satis fies this need . What is proposed, in fact , results in a finished product with more than 90% of its starting materials having no costs - on the contrary, it saves the disposal costs - while the panels , boards and puz zles made using raw materials generate large quantities of CO2 associated with finding the raw materials in mines and felling trees .

Therefore , the panels , boards and puz zles proposed on the market by the present invention will have an approval rating and score on the CO2 saved which will make them more competitive and more attractive also to the public ; moreover, also in private and public tenders , which already provide a score on the CO2 saved for the choice of materials and machinery, the panels , the boards and the puz zles of the present invention can bring advantages when evaluating the technical parameters of the of fer .

Furthermore , it should be noted that the puz zles thus studied for making partition walls , interior insulating walls or exterior cladding, flooring, and so on, have the great advantage that after years of use , they can be completely recovered without performing a demolition, but rather an orderly disassembly .

The PUZZLE system achieves a dual circular economy because the PUZZLE item thus conceived and used does not undergo ageing or wear and can be totally recovered as such after decades .

Claims

1. A process for preparing sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels includes the steps of:

- mixing typical components of demolition of home and office interiors, represented by: dry recoverable materials (consisting of wood - plastic - fabrics - paper - small metals) , wool, glass wool, rock wool, leather goods waste, and gypsum, preferably obtained from the recovery of plasterboard, a dry residue obtained from pressing OFMSW (wet waste fraction) ; stratifying said components with the aid of appropriate fillers;

- aggregating said components with suitable resins;

- forming said panels.

2. The process according to the preceding claim, wherein said dry recoverable materials comprise paper, plastic, metal, wood, fabric, plasterboard residues.

3. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said fillers comprise vegetable organic substances which are first combined and then dried, zeolites or mixed dried algae, or mixtures thereof.

4. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said resin is represented by lignin extract, a natural product .

5. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said dry recoverable materials, wool, leather goods, glass wool and rock wool waste, gypsum obtained from the recovery of plasterboard, are shredded or crushed so as to have a size not exceeding about 5 mm.

6. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said dry recoverable materials are obtained from three sources all downstream of the recovery of the most noble waste, both organic waste, such as OFMSW, and inorganic waste, that is: the inert residue obtained by pressing the OFMSW (Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste) , the residue of the sorting of industrial waste that cannot be recycled, the residue of the pre-demolition and/or renovation of home interiors that recycled.

7. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said dry recoverable materials, wool and leather goods waste, glass wool and rock wool, gypsum obtained from the recovery of plasterboard, are mixed together in a ratio (by weight) of about:

100 dry recoverable materials: 1.2 sheep's wool: 5 glass wool: 5 rock wool: 1 leather: 5 gypsum obtained from the recovery of plasterboard .

8. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein before stratification, a sanitization step is carried out to reduce bacterial, virus, and fungal contamination.

9. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the formation of the panels is obtained by means of a heated press .

10. Sound-absorbing, heat-insulating and hygroscopic panels obtained by the process according to any one of the preceding claims.

11. Re inforcement boards obtained from the sound-absorbing, heat-insulating and hygroscopic panels of the preceding claim.

12. Use of the panels according to the preceding claim, for making interior insulating cladding, sub-floors, for making or replacing walls or interior partitions.

13. Use of leather and/or waste from the processing of leather and/or hides, sheep's wool, glass wool, rock wool, gypsum obtained from the recovery of plasterboard, alone or in combination with one another, for the production of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels .

14. Use of leather and/or waste from the processing of leather and/or hides, sheep's wool, glass wool, rock wool, gypsum obtained from the recovery of plasterboard, alone or in combination with one another, for the production of sound-absorbing and heat-insulating panels according to the process of any one of the preceding claims.

15. Use of leather and/or waste from the processing of leather and/or hides, sheep's wool, glass wool, rock wool, gypsum obtained from the recovery of plasterboard, alone or in combination with one another, for the production of construction reinforcement boards.