Whether for exterior insulation of the facade or the roof under the roof covering, or as an insulating material in the interior of ceilings or walls, cellular glass has excellent insulating properties. It consists of 66 percent recycled waste glass, mostly from window or car glass panes. This is first melted in energy-saving low-temperature furnaces using additives such as feldspar or sodium carbonate. The cooled mixture is ground together with carbon in ball mills and then heated at over 1,000 degrees, causing it to foam into a cell structure with cell walls.
Foam glass has many advantages. Due to its low thermal conductivity, foam glass insulation keeps the heat in the house. In addition, foam glass is waterproof and vapor-tight as long as the foam glass panels are undamaged. Under these conditions, the building material can therefore be used excellently in areas where a high level of moisture formation is to be expected, as the boards do not absorb water. However, if there are small bubbles on the surface of the sheets, water could penetrate and freeze. If the volume of the frozen bubbles increases, the cell structure may crack and cracks may form in the foam glass walls. As a result, over time, the insulating effect may be reduced as the thermal conductivity increases.
As a building material, foam glass meets the highest fire protection requirements. According to DIN 4102-1 and EN 13501-1, cellular glass insulations belong to class A1, the highest building material class in the area of fire protection, as they do not contain any combustible substances. However, anyone who attaches great importance to good sound insulation should resort to other sound-absorbing solutions, as foam glass does not have good sound insulation properties. Other advantages include a high load-bearing capacity and a very good ecological balance compared with synthetic building materials. Commercially available sheets cost between 40 and 60 euros per square meter.
Source: Housing Happiness
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