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Streamlined life cycle assessment of transparent silica aerogel made by supercritical drying

Author

Listed:
  • Dowson, Mark
  • Grogan, Michael
  • Birks, Tim
  • Harrison, David
  • Craig, Salmaan

Abstract

When developing sustainable building fabric technologies, it is essential that the energy use and CO2 burden arising from manufacture does not outweigh the respective in-use savings. This study investigates this paradigm by carrying out a streamlined life cycle assessment (LCA) of silica aerogel. This unique, nanoporous translucent insulation material has the lowest thermal conductivity of any solid, retaining up to four times as much heat as conventional insulation, whilst being highly transparent to light and solar radiation. Monolithic silica aerogel has been cited as the ‘holy grail’ of future glazing technology. Alternatively, translucent granular aerogel is now being produced on a commercial scale. In each case, many solvents are used in production, often accompanied by intensive drying processes, which may consume large amounts of energy and CO2. To date, there has been no peer-reviewed LCA of this material conducted to the ISO 14000 standard.

Suggested Citation

  • Dowson, Mark & Grogan, Michael & Birks, Tim & Harrison, David & Craig, Salmaan, 2012. "Streamlined life cycle assessment of transparent silica aerogel made by supercritical drying," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 396-404.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:97:y:2012:i:c:p:396-404
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.11.047
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    Cited by:

    1. Osman Karatum & Md Mainul H. Bhuiya & Mary K. Carroll & Ann M. Anderson & Desiree L. Plata, 2018. "Life Cycle Assessment of Aerogel Manufacture on Small and Large Scales: Weighing the Use of Advanced Materials in Oil Spill Remediation," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(6), pages 1365-1377, December.
    2. Karel Struhala & Miroslav Čekon & Richard Slávik, 2018. "Life Cycle Assessment of Solar Façade Concepts Based on Transparent Insulation Materials," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Silvia Vilčeková & Monika Čuláková & Eva Krídlová Burdová & Jana Katunská, 2015. "Energy and Environmental Evaluation of Non-Transparent Constructions of Building Envelope for Wooden Houses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-29, October.
    4. Kong, Yong & Shen, Xiaodong & Cui, Sheng & Fan, Maohong, 2015. "Development of monolithic adsorbent via polymeric sol–gel process for low-concentration CO2 capture," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 308-317.

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