life cycle analysis materials_en

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Report containing the life cycle analysis of the materials identified as feasible to be produced

locally in the two counties – Iasi, September 2013

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Contract UNDP 008 / 2013 – deliver 3 [list them as referred to in the TOR]

Report containing the life cycle assessment of the materials identified as feasible to be

produced locally in the two counties - September 2013

TITLE OF THE PROJECT:

Improving energy efficiency in Romanian low-income homes and communities

R3. Report concerning the assessment of the life cycle of materials identified* as feasible to be produced in the two pilot counties**

DRAWN UP by: Constantin Miron

Iasi,

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September, 2013

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* sustainable materials for buildings and building insulations, potentially available and that can be produced locally

** Dolj and Hunedoara counties

CONTENTS Pag.

Introduction - What product “Life Cycle Assessment” means 2

Chapter 1. Defining the concept, aims and objectives 6

Chapter 2. Defining the object of life cycle assessment LCA 9

Chapter 3. Defining the purpose and application domain of life cycle

assessment LCA ( ISO 14041) 24

Chapter 4. Analysis of the life cycle inventory 32

Chapter 5. Evaluation of the environment impact on the life cycle for buildings

from locally available ecological materials 38

Chapter 6. Interpretation of the life cycle for thermal-insulating locally

available ecological materials. Conclusions and recommendations 42

Bibliography 59

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Introduction - What product “Life Cycle Assessment” means

Along with intense technological development, the last decades have also brought

on the concern over the impact that the production of materials and services has on the

environment, on human health, on all living beings and on all components of the

environment.

For this reason, all entities that offer material goods and services must pay special

attention to the way in which they manufacture their products, offer their services, the

means of exploitation/use, decommissioning and recovery/recycling after

decommissioning.

This implies the analysis of each stage of the product’s manufacture, exploitation,

decommissioning, recovery/recycling, joined into the single concept of product life cycle.

The analysis must result in assessing the impact on the environment and on the community

over the entire duration of a product’s existence.

The term life cycle may be improperly used, as it refers to a material object or a

service, but the same term has been chosen as in case of living beings for its power of

suggestion. The correct terminology would be existence cycle of the product, from

production to decommissioning.

If we determine the life cycle of a material good, we may understand and better

assess its impact on the environment and on the community, from the manufacture stage, to

exploitation and decommissioning.

The analysis of the life cycle is based on the elements and stages that the materials

and raw matters undergo, as follows:

1. Design – durability in exploitation, disassembling - decommissioning, duration,

allotted resources consumption, its ability to be reused or recycled.

2. Materials – what the product and packaging are made of, the composition of the

materials (extracted or processed).

3. Production – how and where the product and packaging have been manufactured,

whether recycled or recyclable materials were used, natural and locally available.

4. Distribution – how the product reaches the consumer from its production site,

transport method.

5. Use – Exploitation, how the product and packaging are used by the consumer.

6. Decommissioning – Disposal – how and where the product must be disposed of,

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the degradability degree of the product and packaging (the amount of time that

they need to decompose).

The closing of this circuit reduces the volume of materials and raw matter, as well as

the energy necessary to manufacture new products.

We can help close the circle by purchasing recycled products as often as we can.

There are two essential rules for stimulating the closing of the recycling circuit:

Purchasing products that can be recycled;

Purchasing products made of recycled materials.

There are basic principles, simple and efficient, to optimise the life cycle, to reduce

production costs and to ensure transportation and distribution, as follows:

Purchasing locally manufactured products. This encourages local manufacturers and

farmers, as well as small business owners, and reduces the need for transportation.

Goods that are manufactured in another region or are imported need transportation,

fossil fuels, cause more pollution and necessitate more resources.

Reusing products instead of throwing them away. In many cases, we can choose to

reuse a product instead of throwing it away. Before deciding to buy a new product, we

must consider if we can reuse it, even if not for the same purpose for which we buy it.

For example, paper bags bought to transport purchased items can be used for the same

purpose, but they can also be used as ecological fuel for heating, as compared to

plastic bags, which cannot be used as fuel and are eventually disposed of, causing

long-term pollution of the environment.

The buyer has the greatest power to influence the optimisation of the life cycle by

deciding to buy a certain product that:

- Can be reused even several times or/and in an ecological manner that is

responsible towards the environment.

- Is packaged as simply as possible, but efficiently in order to avoid extraneous

quantities of packaging materials.

- Shows responsibility towards the environment and towards human health by

means of its characteristics of natural biodegradability, biological product that

decomposes easily, organic product (in the case of food products) without

chemical treatments, etc.

- Exists in the quantity necessary for consumption and there is no extraneous

material that needs to be discarded.

- The concept of reduction refers not only to waste, but also to the quantity of

natural resources and energy used.

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The role of the producers manifests itself also in manufacturing decisions and in those

of the product’s buyer (beneficiary), in the circuit of use, reuse and decommissioning.

The way in which we select, use and dispose of a product marks essential stages in a

product’s life cycle. It serves no purpose for a product manufactured from recyclable

materials to reach the dust bin.

The role of the buyer or beneficiary of the product in this process is therefore as

follows:

to ensure that they buy the product that best fits their needs.

to support the companies that uphold environment responsibility and buy

products that are not harmful to the environment.

to recycle and reuse products and packaging as often as they can.

if they do not recycle a product, they must make sure that they dispose of it

properly.

to use the product adequately and efficiently.

to communicate to companies the means to improve their products if they think

that some products use too much packaging or if they could be more

environmentally friendly.

We can thus develop a way to educate the buyer into responsible self-control that

determines them to ask themselves before purchasing a product if:

- Do they actually need the product, or many of the same items do they already

have?

- How useful will the product be, and how long will it be functional?

- Can they lend it to be of use to someone else?

- Can they clean and maintain the product themselves, can they and do they want

to repair it?

- Have they searched thoroughly enough for the best quality-price ratio?

- Do they know the way in which they will be able to dispose of it?

- Is the product obtained from renewable or non-renewable resources?

- Is the product manufactured from recyclable materials?

- Is the product recyclable?

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Chapter 1 . DEFINING THE CONCEPT, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 Defining the concept of life cycle assessment (en: Life-Cycle_Assessment -

LCA).

According to the description from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-cycle_assessment, the

life cycle assessment of a product is an environment management technique that identifies

the flows of materials, energy and waste over one life cycle of the product and their impact

on the environment.

The encyclopaedic dictionary of the environment (2005)[1] presents an extensive and

comprehensive description: "The life cycle assessment of a product represents the

evaluation and analysis of the consequences that the actions related to the product have on

the environment; the assessment follows the product from the extraction and processing of

the raw matter, through all the stages of production, transport and distribution, use, pay-

off, maintenance and recycling, to the final storage or to its reintegration into the

environment."

So defined, LCA refers only to the environmental impact of the product and does not

cover the financial, political and social factors (for example, the cost impact).

The life cycle of a product starts at the moment when the product is being designed

and continues with the acquisition and use of raw matter, the manufacturing or processing

with the associated waste flow, storage, distribution, use, decommissioning or recycling[2].

The complete life cycle must also include the transport stage necessary or demanded

by the location of the product.

The first forms of LCA were used in the USA, in the 1960s, in order to define the

environment strategy of corporations and subsequently in the 1970, by government

agencies, as an auxiliary means of public policy development.

The first international body that took action in order to develop LCA was SETAC

(Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) from the USA[3].

SETAC created a Practice Code for LCA [3], which constituted the first technical

framework that was accepted internationally for LCA studies.

In 1994, ISO established the Technical Committee TC 207, tasked to set up

standards for a set of environment management instruments, including LCA. Starting from

1994, LCA emerged as an environment management instrument on a worldwide scale

under the form of the standard series ISO 14040.

Another international "actor" in the domain of LCA is UNEP (United Nations

Environmental Programme), which published a set of LCA guidelines LCA, entitled Life

Cycle Assessment (1996)[4], a follow-up to the prior guidelines: "Towards a Global Use of

Life Cycle Assessment"(1999) [ 5].

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According to the standard SR EN ISO 14040:2002 [6], life cycle is understood to

mean at the same time, "the consecutive and inter-correlated stages of a product-system,

from the acquisition of raw matter or generation of natural resources to post-use".

The total system of unique (basic) processes involved in the life cycle of a product

is called "product-system".

The term "unique process" refers to any sort of activity that yields economically

valuable results, electricity, etc., or that provides an economically valuable service, for

example transportation or waste management.

The term "product" is considered in its widest sense – including physical goods and

services, operational as well as strategic.

The objectives of the analysis consist in evaluating the risk, environment

performance and environmental auditing, evaluating the impact on the environment,

identifying the possible changes from each stage of the life cycle that can lead to

environmental and economic benefits as well as general cost savings.

The standards SR EN ISO 14040:2007 and ISO 14040:2006 define the general

principles and work framework for conceiving and prioritising the actions, the conducting

and reporting of LCA studies. The standards SR EN ISO 14044:2007 and ISO 14044:2006

offer recommendations concerning the requirements and guidelines for life cycle

assessment.

1.2 General description of LCA

According to the given definition, LCA is an environment management technique for

evaluating the environment aspects of product-system and of their associated potential

aspect, and it is conducted and put into practice by completing the following four stages

[6]:

Defining the purpose and domain of application.

Analysing the inventory of relevant input and output materials of a system-product.

Evaluating the potential impact over the environment.

Interpreting the results of the analysis performed on the inventory and of the impact

assessment stage.

Life cycle assessment can contribute to substantiating decisions in industry, government

and non-government organisations, for divising strategical plans, designing products and

processes, as well as evaluating alternative manufacturing methods from the perspective of

ecological demands that need to be satisfied.

The truncating of the chain of stages offers partial life cycles that, in some cases, can be

sufficient for the analysis requested by the objectives of the study.

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There are several partial LCA variants:

- Cradle-to-Gate is an analysis of the partial life cycle of the product, from the

manufacturing stage ("cradle") to its delivery to the “gate” of the plant, meaning before

being transported to the consumer’s premises.

- Cradle-to-cradle is a type of life cycle assessment in which the final post-use stage is a

recycling process. The recycling yields either new products identical to the recycled ones,

or different.

- Gate-to-Gate is a partial LCA that takes into consideration only a single process that adds

value to the entire chain of production.

Upon conducting the LCA study, we may take into consideration the following

categories of environmental impact [7]:

Contribution to the greenhouse effect

Impact on the stratospheric ozone layer

Contribution to acid rains (through SO2 emissions)

Pollution of groundwater, waste water, treatment systems, cooling water

Energy consumption (electrical, gas, oil, etc.)

Pollution of air, toxic gas

Soil erosion, forest degradation

Noise, vibrations

Dust and particles

Explosions, spills, solid waste material, dangerous waste material.

The analysis of the categories of impact on the environment is hindered by the lack of a

scientific methodology necessary for evaluating the impact that processes have on the

environment. The models for impact categories are still under development.

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Chapter 2 . DEFINING THE OBJECT OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT LCA

2.1 Specific definition

The object of life cycle assessment LCA is the group of composite materials

obtained from natural raw matter locally available that can be used to promote

energy efficiency.

The production of composite materials and thermal-insulating elements is based on

natural raw matter, such as:

a. Natural lime

b. Clay

c. Wood, wood waste, reclaimed wood

d. Vegetable materials (straw, hemp, reed)

e. Materials of animal origin (sheep wool)

The production of the system or of certain types of ecological materials and

thermal-insulating elements, (of type MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® - international

patent PCT/BE2006/000048, or similar), can be extended in Romania and firstly to the

pilot areas, with technical means that are simple and inexpensive, based on raw matter such

as slaked lime, wood waste, minced vegetable fibres, wool, cement supplement, etc.,

(described in chapter 6, paragraph 6.3.3 of the R2 Report).

The MOPATEL®

and ECOPIERRA®

material solutions have completed the stage of

laboratory tests and trials for the exact determination of their characteristics, necessary

for the next stage of technical substantiation and obtaining of the technical approval to

allow their use as certified building materials, which is expected to be completed between

October-November 2013.

The advantage of advanced research and of the complex testing programme for this

system of ecological materials and thermal-insulating elements that can be produced

with the stock of natural, locally available materials mentioned above, is that it offers a

sustainable solution for erecting new buildings, or for the complex structural and

energetical rehabilitation of buildings already existing in Romania.

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2.2 Characterisation of the production and use stages of composite materials

obtained from natural locally available raw matter, of type MOPATEL® and

ECOPIERRA®- international patent PCT/BE2006/000048.

2.2.1 Basic elements for the release of the technical agreement and conformity

certification

Composite materials include the category of thermal-insulating materials. They are

ecological materials obtained from natural raw matter (wood grains of various species,

sawdust and shavings, wood fibres and vegetable waste, sheep wool, straw, expanded clay,

etc.) and two binding agents, namely lime slaked into paste and Portland cement.

MOPATEL®

composite materials contain slaked lime, cement, wood fibres and waste,

sheep wool, and come in three product classes:

- MOPATEL Strong (MSxxx) with a density of 1.400-1.600 kg/m3, whose main

characteristic is its high resistance to compression, the elasticity module

corresponding to light concrete.

- MOPATEL Medium (MMxxx) with a density of 1.100-1.400 kg/m3

characterised

by high mechanical resistance and exceptional performances in thermal and

acoustic insulation.

- MOPATEL Light (MLxxx) and Super - Light with a density of 100-1.100 kg/m3,

characterised mainly as thermal and acoustic insulating elements.

In ECOPIERRA® light materials, gravel is replaced with grains of clay burnt in ovens,

with dimensions of 4 up to 10 mm, and sand is replaced with grains of light wood (cork or

light deciduous wood). This system also comprises 3 classes of products, as follows:

- ECOPIERRA Strong (ESxxx) with a density of 1.400 -1.700 kg/m3, whose main

characteristic is its high resistance to compression, the elasticity module corresponding to

light concrete.

- ECOPIERRA Medium (EMxxx) with a density of 1.200 - 1.400 kg/m3

characterised

by high mechanical resistance and exceptional performances in thermal and acoustic

insulation.

- ECOPIERRA Light (ELxxx) and Super-Light, with a density of 100-1.200 kg/m3


MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological thermal-insulating light concretes are

resistant to fire, possess good plasticity, ensuring effective thermal and acoustic insulation,

and a resistance to traction comparable to that of classical concrete. Moreover, composite

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materials are permeable to air and water vapours, allowing the release of condensation and

fowl air.

These materials can be coloured as desired, so that the walls made of these materials

have a pleasant appearance and do not need further finishing.

The code allocated to the “xxx” letter group is reserved for identifying the subclasses

of products manufactured under the classes Strong, Medium, Light and Super-Light.

The ecological thermal-insulating elements from lightweight materials of type MOPATEL®

and ECOPIERRA® can be manufactured under the following forms:

- parallelepipedic blocks with the following dimensions:

- 100 x 200 x 400mm

- 135 x 195 x 395mm

- 95 x 195 x 295mm

- 95 x 145 x 245mm

- 95 x 295 x 395mm

- 65 x 395 x 495mm

or,

- Flat plates with various surfaces and thicknesses resulting from dimensioning the level

of thermal insulation and application technology.

2.2.2 Identification of the materials

The MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological thermal-insulating elements will be

packaged and delivered in pallets. Each pallet will bear self-adhesive labels bearing

inscriptions of the following details:

- name and logo of manufacturing company;

- commercial brand of the product;

- dimensions of blocks/plates;

- number and date of the production run;

- number and date of the declaration of conformity;

- instructions for transport, manipulation and storage.

When delivered to the beneficiary’s premises, each package must be accompanied by:

- quality certification document, drawn up according to effective regulations;

- laying details;

- shipping notice with the complete inventory verified when sent out

- instructions for transport, manipulation, storage, laying and maintenance in Romanian;

- any delivery is accompanied by the Declaration of conformity drawn up according to

norm SR EN ISO/CEI 17050 -1: 2005 and the Warranty certificate of the product.

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2.2.3 Areas of use in constructions

The MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological thermal-insulating elements can be

used in conformity with the effective Romanian norms applicable in constructions and are

appropriate for the following applications:

a. Exterior masonry load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls, on various resistance

structures, in civilian and industrial buildings located in the climatic areas I, II, III,

IV with a normal temperature and humidity interior regime, observing the effective

technical regulations and aiming to achieve supplementary thermal-insulating

systems.

b. Separating walls, slabs, terraces, thermal and soundproofing plates for civilian and

industrial buildings located in the climatic areas I, II, III, IV with a normal

temperature and humidity regime, observing the effective technical regulations.

All the buildings constructed with the lightweight MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

®

ecological thermal-insulating elements can be located in the climatic areas I, II, III, IV of

Romania, with a normal temperature and humidity regime, observing the use and laying

instructions from the producer as well as the effective technical regulations:

- SR EN ISO 13788:2002 – Hygrothermal performance of building components and

elements. Superficial interior temperature for avoiding critical superficial humidity and

interior condensation. Calculation methods.

- C107-05, with additions from 2010 – Norm concerning the thermotechnical calculation

of building elements.

- C203 – 91 – Technical instructions for designing and executing improvement works on

thermal insulation and remedying condensation on exterior walls.

- CR 6-2006 – Design code for masonry structures.

- P 100-1/2006 - Seismic design code – Part I. Design provisions for buildings

- P 118 - Fire safety norm for buildings;

- CR 1-1-3/2012 Design code. Assessment of the action of snow on buildings;

- SR EN 1991-1-3:2005 Euro code 1: Actions on structures. Part 1-3: General actions.

Snow-generated loads. National Appendix.

- SR EN 1991-1-1:2004 – Building actions. Wind-generated loads.

- SR EN 1991-1-1:2006 Euro code 1 - General actions. Specific weights, proper

weights, useful loads for buildings;

- SR EN 1991-1-1:2004/NA:2006 – Euro code 1: Actions on structures. Part 1-1:

General actions. Specific weights, proper weights, useful loads for buildings. National

Appendix.

- NP 082-04 – Design code. Basics of design and actions on buildings. Wind action.

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- GP 001-1996 – Soundproofing. Design and execution guidelines for urban areas from

an acoustic perspective.

- SR 12025-2:1994 – Acoustics in constructions. Effects of vibration on buildings or on

parts of buildings. Admissible limits.

- SR EN ISO 717 – 1: 2013 – Acoustics. Assessment of the acoustic insulation of

buildings and building elements. Part 1: Insulation against air noise.

2.2.4 Applicability in constructions

The products conform to the essential requirements of Law 123 / 5.05.2007

(modifying Law 10 / 1995), concerning quality in constructions, mandatory to be

maintained along the entire use period of the product.

Mechanical resistance and stability

For the stress and deformation resulting from seismic events, loads from wind or snow

charging, the stability of the building is ensured by means of a projection calculation

according to the effective technical regulations.

The lightweight MOPATEL®

and ECOPIERRA® ecological thermal-insulating

materials present adequate characteristics of stability and resistance, fireproofness,

resistance to compression and traction comparable to that of classic concretes and mortars.

Fire safety

By design, according to the P 118 norm, fire safety is ensured depending on the

destination of the constructed closings. The MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological

thermal-insulating elements, in conformity with OM 269/4.03.2008 and OM

1822/394/2004, fall within the A2 class of reaction to fire (combustion class C1 according

to Test report no. 38099/14.09.2004 of the PSI Centre for Studies, Experiments and

Specialisation).

The resistance to fire according to the EI criteria is greater than 15 minutes.

Hygiene, health and environment

The MOPATEL®

and ECOPIERRA® ecological thermal-insulating materials are

composite materials made only from ecological mixtures (clay, wood grains, cork, sawdust,

shavings, sheep wool, lime slaked into paste, cement) that do not emit polluting substances

and do not constitute a risk for human health. On the contrary, they contribute to the

purification, disinfection and depollution of air.

None of the composing materials of the MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological

thermal-insulating materials is included on the list of carcinogenic or potentially

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carcinogenic materials according to NM-2006 – Methodological norms and GD no. 1.218

of September 6, 2006 establishing the minimal requirements for security and health in work

in order to ensure the protection of workers against risks related to chemical agents.

The lightweight MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological thermal-insulating

materials do not pose any risk of environment pollution. On the contrary, they are an active

depollution agent.

Safety of use

The specific characteristics of the material (resistance to fire, resistance to compression

and comparable traction, air and vapour permeability) offers safety in use, ensuring the

safety of beneficiaries and meeting at the same time the conditions of the effective

hygiene and health norms.

The safety in use and functionality are ensured by the judicious design of the constructive

systems based on the effective laws and regulations.

Protection against noise

Composites of type MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA® ensure protection against noise

through adequate values of the acoustic absorption coefficient of the materials used in the

composite mixture (wood, shavings, sawdust) falling, depending on their thickness and

density, between 21…36 dB.

Energy saving and thermal insulation

When designing the thermal insulation elements made from thermal-insulating

composite materials of type MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

®, the producer adopts the

thickness and dimensional conformity necessary to achieve levels of thermal insulation and

energy saving according to effective regulations.

The perimetric closings made from thermal-insulating materials of type MOPATEL®

and ECOPIERRA® present adequate characteristics concerning the areas of use in

constructions mentioned in item 2.2.3, for the following parameters:

- thermal conductivity of the material;

- specific resistance of masonry to thermal transfer;

- diffusion to vapours and regulation of the relative humidity of the interior air in buildings

The thermal conductivity of the ecological thermal-insulating composite materials of

type MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

®:

Type of composite material Thermal conductivity 10 (W/mK)

ECOPIERRA STRONG 0,30….0, 40

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ECOPIERRA MEDIUM 0,22…..0,25

ECOPIERRA LIGHT and SUPER-LIGHT 0,04…0,17 … 0,22

MOPATEL STRONG 0,27…0,33

MOPATEL MEDIUM 0,20….0,22

MOPATEL LIGHT si SUPER-LIGHT 0,045…..0,160

2.2.5 Durability and product maintenance

The quality and nature of the used materials offer stability under the action of

mechanical stress, of the exterior climate and of the interior microclimate (excess of

humidity, non-adequate temperatures).

The maintenance during exploitation of the closing elements made from lightweight

ecological thermal-insulating materials of type MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® does not

pose any problems other than those that usually arise with similar traditional elements.

The life of closing elements made from MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® ecological

thermal-insulating materials is estimated for a period of over 50 years from laying, if

observing the conditions imposed by the design of the building and the current maintenance

measures specific to their exploitation.

The essential durability requirements refer to maintaining in time the thermal and

physical properties of the lightweight natural materials, namely of their thermal and

soundproofing properties, as well as to the conservation of the dmechanical and physical

properties while observing the producer’s instructions concerning laying and maintenance.

2.2.6 Manufacture and control


® thermal-insulating elements are manufactured under a

simplified industrialized regime, in specially designed spaces, with specific areas for each

stage of the manufacture – storage – delivery chain, according to the producer’s

specifications and to the international patent PCT/BE2006/000048.

The production of ecological thermal-insulating elements of type MOPATEL® and

ECOPIERRA®

is organised as follows:

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An area for the internal quality control of raw matter (binding agents and composing

aggregates) as well as of the finished products.

Areas for storing cement, lime slaked into paste and aggregates (sawdust, shavings,

cork, oven-expanded clay, sheep wool, etc.).

Areas for the dosing of components (weighing).

Mixing area.

An area for casting into shuttering and the removal of shuttering after approximately

18....24 hours.

Hardening and stacking area.

Area for the final quality check and packaging.

The constant compliance with the declared quality parameters is guaranteed by the

producer’s internal control.

The producer MOPATEL PROIECT SRL Găineşti, Suceava has implemented the

Quality Management System according to EN ISO 9001:2008.

The quality characteristics of the products have been verified and confirmed by the following

laboratories:

- CSTC Belgium,

- URBAN INCERC Iasi and Bucharest

- Centre for Fire Studies, Experiments and Specialisation Bucharest

- ARGEX SA Belgium,

- CCF Central Laboratory Bucharest

2.2.7 Laying

The laying of the lightweight thermal-insulating elements of type MOPATEL® and

ECOPIERRA® has to be done with medium-qualified personnel, by specialised firms,

taking into account the following aspects:

- Indications specified by the design papers

- Mandatory prescriptions given by the producer

Laying can be achieved as follows:

- For blocks, by wet joining with mortar of a composition identical to that of the

masonry elements, but with a minimal class of M50.

- For thermal-insulating plates, by slot-and-feather assembly, with mechanical joining

by means of tap bolts, without brazing (dry mounting) or with brazing by adhesive

ecological mortar to the closing/supporting wall or element.

Elements that have been damaged during transport or mounting are not to be laid.

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2.2.8 Technical prescriptions

2.2.8 .1 Conception conditions

The lightweight thermal-insulating elements of type MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

®

are conceived according to the provisions of P100 – 1/2006 and CR 6-2006 for non-load-

bearing masonry exterior walls, separating walls, slabs and thermal and/or

soundproofing plates for civilian and industrial buildings.

The design and verification of the closings made from this type of masonry are to be

conducted according to the calculation rules specific to masonry walls, taking into account

the calculation and control specifications from the producer’s original documentation as

well as the provisions of the specific technical norms effective in Romania listed in item

2.2.3.

Design must ensure the following:

- solve the issue of relative deformations of the structure levels under the action of dynamic

loads, including seismic ones according to P100-1;

- ensure resistance to physical and chemical stress specific to the climatic areas of Romania,

caused by temperature variations, wind, solar radiation and water. Design will have to take

into account the deformations caused by temperature variations at the level of the

perimetric joints with the load-bearing structure of the building.

- ensure the level of thermal insulation specific to façade elements and floors by setting the

optimal thickness of the masonry elements.

- ensure the required degree of resistance to fire and acoustic insulation.

2.2.8.2 Manufacturing conditions

The lightweight elements of ecological thermal-insulating concrete of type


® are manufactured by MOPATEL PROIECT SRL

according to the International patent application PCT/ BE2006/ 000048, on semi-

mechanised production lines that process the constituting materials.

The producer has organised a survey and verification service for the quality of the

raw matters as well as of the finished product.

The constant quality of the product is ensured and guaranteed by the producer

MOPATEL PROIECT SRL.

The permanent quality control is ensured by means of controlling the production

process, the finished product, internally by the producer, as well as externally by means of

the periodic control performed by neutral authorised laboratories.

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2.2.8.3 Delivery conditions

The producer delivers the product packaged and bearing a label with the identity data

of the producer, manufacture date, and technical data of the product.

At delivery, the product is accompanied by documents in Romanian concerning:

- Product laying and maintenance instructions;

- Storing, packaging and transport conditions;

- Declaration of conformity that certifies the conformity of the products to the technical

agreement, according to standard SR EN ISO /CEI 17050-1:2005.

The producer will specify the conditions for long or short term storing (temperature,

danger class).


® ecological thermal-insulating elements are

transported in stacked pallets.

The loading and offloading of MOPATEL®

and ECOPIERRA® lightweight concrete

elements must be carried out using a forklift. If using a crane, a wooden ledger should be

used between the pallets and the ropes (mandatory of textile material).

The wooden ledger has to have a minimal width of 200 mm and must keep a

minimal distance of 200 mm from the edges of the pallet in order to protect them.

The use of steel cables or chains is strictly prohibited.

For long-term storage outside covered warehouses, the stacks must be covered with

plastic sheets in order to insulate them against humidity.

2.2.8.4 Laying conditions


® thermal-insulating elements are used according to the

effective calculation rules applicable to exterior closing elements, taking into account the

requirements of the domain-specific design norms as well as the design documentation

provided by the producer.

When laying MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® thermal-insulating elements, one must

observe the technical instructions of the producer as well as the following technical

documentation effective in Romania:

- Law no. 319 - 2006 on work safety and health (M.O. 646 /26.07.06).

- GD 1425 / 11.10.2006 for the approval of MN-2006 – Methodological norms for

applying Law 319 / 2006 (M.O. 882 /30.10.06).

- GD 1218 / 06.09.2006 establishing the minimal work safety and health measures to

ensure the protection of workers against risks related to chemical agents (M.O. 845

/13.10.06).

- C 300 - 94 – “Norm concerning the prevention and suppression of fires during work

on constructions and related installations”.

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19

2.2.9 Legal mandatory conditions specified by the technical agreement and by the

specific legislation for technical approval-certification, verification and long-term

monitoring during exploitation.

The quality of the product and the manufacturing method must be maintained

according to the conditions specified by the technical agreement for its entire validity

period.

Whenever legal acts or technical regulations are mentioned, it should be noted that

these must be updated and maintained effective according to the domain’s demands.

Any recommendation related to product use under safety conditions contained in or

referring to the technical agreement represents the minimal requirement necessary

for laying the product.

The entity releasing the technical agreement, URBAN INCERC Iaşi Branch, is

responsible for the accuracy of the data in the agreement and for the tests and trials

that substantiated that data. Technical agreements do not release suppliers or/and

users from their own responsibilities according to effective regulations.

The verification of the preservation of the product’s applicability will be

conducted according to the programme established by URBAN INCERC Iaşi

Branch, by means of on-site checks of Romanian objectives that have used the

product and by means of annual laboratory tests over the entire validity period

of the technical agreement.

The actions that are part of the verification programme and the way in which

they are to be carried out shall observe the effective norms and technical

regulations.

URBAN INCERC Iaşi shall inform the Permanent Technical Council for

Constructions – MDRAP on the result of the verification, and if these do not

show that product applicability has been maintained, will request PTCC to

initiate the suspension of the technical agreement.

The suspension is also initiated if it is discovered by controls from certified

entities that constant conditions have not been maintained for manufacturing,

laying and use according to the specifications of the technical agreement and of

the producer issuing the declaration of conformity.

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20

2.3 DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY with the technical agreement, issued by

the producer.

Following the approval of the technical agreement and the issue of the related

Technical Approval by the Permanent Technical Council for Constructions – MDRAP,

as the national body managing the NATIONAL REGISTRY of products certified for

constructions (www. ctpc.ro – National Registry), the producer issues with every delivery a

Declaration of conformity* with the following contents:

(* the table of characteristics is only an example and does not reproduce the characteristics from the technical

agreement. The declaration of conformity will contain the information from the TA after its approval and after obtaining

the Technical Approval document from PTCC-MDRAP):

DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY *

* (type specimen with technical information)

Producer Authorised representative

MOPATEL PROIECT SRL

Gainesti, Slatina commune, Suceava County

Tel/Fax: 0230 573962, GSM 0745 219280

MOPATEL PROIECT SRL


Tel/Fax: 0230 573962, GSM 0745 219280

Product code, conf. National Registry,

Appendix 2:

(2.38) Thermal-insulating products (industrially

manufactured products and products for on-site

formation) obtained from materials falling

under classes A1(4), A2(4), B(4) or C(4)

Hereby declare that the PRODUCTS FROM COMPOSITE ECOLOGICAL

AND THERMO-ACOUSTICALLY EFFICIENT MATERIALS OF TYPE

MOPATEL® AND ECOPIERRA ®, FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS are in

conformity with the requirements of Law 608/2001 concerning the evaluation of product

conformity, with subsequent modifications and GD no. 622/ 2004 establishing the

conditions for the market introduction of construction products, and can be laid according

to the use instructions contained within the product documentation.

The reference Technical Agreement according to which the product has been manufactured is TA no. …………………

Performance of the product verified experimentally: (the values used are examples and do not

reproduce the characteristics from the technical agreement. The information conforming to the TA will be available only

after its approval and after obtaining the Technical Approval document from PTCC-MDRAP):

Characteristics Unit of

Measure Test Standard

Standard

Provisions Obtained Results

Concrete density:

kg/m3

EN 772-

1:2000 (SR EN 772-

1:2000)

100….. 1700

- ECOPIERRA®

STRONG 1235…1481

- ECOPIERRA®

MEDIUM 1.200 - 1.400

- ECOPIERRA®

LIGHT, SUPER-LIGHT

100-1.200

http://www.ctpc.ro/registrulunic/anexa2/familia%202.38.doc




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21

- MOPATEL®

STRONG 1104

- MOPATEL®

MEDIUM 870…920

- MOPATEL®

LIGHT SI SUPER-LIGHT

145…810

Thermal conductivity λ10,,

W/mK STAS 5912-89 0,35 ...

0,05

- ECOPIERRA®

STRONG 0,348

- ECOPIERRA®

MEDIUM 0,22..0,25

- ECOPIERRA®

LIGHT SI

SUPER-LIGHT

0,04 …0,22

- MOPATEL®

STRONG 0,271…0,331

- MOPATEL®

MEDIUM 0,202.. 0,215

- MOPATEL®

LIGHT SI

SUPER-LIGHT

0,045….0,160

Resistance to compression

N/mm2

EN 772-1:2000

(SR EN 772-

1:2000)

- ECOPIERRA

® STRONG 11,2 …22,56

- MOPATEL®

STRONG 9,037 .. 12,0

- MOPATEL®

MEDIUM 4,792…5,539 - MOPATEL

® LIGHT 0,533..1,022

Resistance to frost-thaw for

MOPATEL®

LIGHT

%

SR EN 772-

18:2003

(STAS 3518-89

STAS 1275-

88)

50 cycles

Resistance loss

7,4

Water intake for ECOPIERRA

® STRONG %

NBN B15-215 (SR EN 772-

11:2003)

- 2,73 …3,97

Water vapour resistance factor for MOPATEL

® STRONG -

EN ISO 12572:

2001

- 16,6 …17,2

Fire reaction class A2 (C1)

Resistance to fire according to

EI criteria - greater than 15 minutes

Name and description of the product

The elements from composite ecological thermal and soundproofing materials of type


® are produced by MOPATEL PROIECT SRL according to the

International patent application PCT/BE2006/000048 from ecological composite materials based

on natural raw matter of vegetable and animal origin and two binding agents, namely lime slaked into paste and cement.

The product comes in the following types and dimensions:

- MOPATEL Strong (MSxxx) with a density of 1.400-1.600 kg/m3, whose main

characteristic is its high resistance to compression, the elasticity module corresponding to

light concrete.

- MOPATEL Medium (MMxxx) with a density of 1.100-1.400 kg/m3 characterised by high

mechanical resistance and exceptional performances in thermal and acoustic insulation.

- MOPATEL Light (MLxxx) and Super-Light with a density of 100-1.100 kg/m3,


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22

In ECOPIERRA® light materials, gravel is replaced with grains of clay burnt in ovens, with dimensions of 4 up to 10 mm, and sand is replaced with grains of light wood (cork or light

deciduous wood). This system also comprises 3 classes of products, as follows:

- ECOPIERRA Strong (ESxxx) with a density of 1.400 -1.700 kg/m3, whose main characteristic

is its high resistance to compression, the elasticity module corresponding to light concrete.

- ECOPIERRA Medium (EMxxx) with a density of 1.200 - 1.400 kg/m3

characterised by high mechanical resistance and exceptional performances in thermal and acoustic insulation.

- ECOPIERRA Light (ELxxx) and Super-Light, with a density of 100-1.200 kg/m3


The code allocated to the “xxx” letter group is reserved for identifying the subclasses of products manufactured under the classes Strong, Medium, Light and Super-Light.

The ecological thermal-insulating elements from lightweight materials of type MOPATEL® and

ECOPIERRA® can be manufactured under the following forms: - parallelepipedic blocks with the following dimensions:

- 100 x 200 x 400mm

- 135 x 195 x 395mm

- 95 x 195 x 295mm - 95 x 145 x 245mm

- 95 x 295 x 395mm

- 65 x 395 x 495mm or,

- Flat plates with various surfaces and thicknesses resulting from dimensioning the level of

thermal insulation and application technology.

The MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA® ecological thermal-insulating elements can be used in

conformity with the effective Romanian norms applicable in constructions and are appropriate for

the following applications:

a. Exterior masonry load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls, on various resistance structures, in

civilian and industrial buildings located in the climatic areas I, II, III, IV with a normal temperature

and humidity interior regime, observing the effective technical regulations and aiming to achieve

supplementary thermal-insulating systems.

b. Separating walls, slabs, terraces, thermal and soundproofing plates for civilian and industrial

buildings located in the climatic areas I, II, III, IV with a normal temperature and humidity regime,

observing the effective technical regulations.

The buildings constructed with the lightweight MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA® ecological

thermal-insulating elements can be located in the climatic areas I, II, III, IV of Romania, with a

normal temperature and humidity regime, observing the use and laying instructions from the producer as well as the effective technical regulations:

- SR EN ISO 13788:2002 – Hygrothermal performance of building components and

elements. Superficial interior temperature for avoiding critical superficial humidity and

interior condensation. Calculation methods.

- C107-05, with additions from 2010 – Norm concerning the thermotechnical calculation

of building elements.

- C203 – 91 – Technical instructions for designing and executing improvement works on

thermal insulation and remedying condensation on exterior walls.

- CR 6-2006 – Design code for masonry structures.

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23

- P 100-1/2006 - Seismic design code – Part I. Design provisions for buildings

- P 118 - Fire safety norm for buildings;

- CR 1-1-3/2012 Design code. Assessment of the action of snow on buildings;

- SR EN 1991-1-3:2005 Euro code 1: Actions on structures. Part 1-3: General actions.

Snow-generated loads. National Appendix.

- SR EN 1991-1-1:2004 – Building actions. Wind-generated loads.

- SR EN 1991-1-1:2006 Euro code 1 - General actions. Specific weights, proper

weights, useful loads for buildings;

- SR EN 1991-1-1:2004/NA:2006 – Euro code 1: Actions on structures. Part 1-1:

General actions. Specific weights, proper weights, useful loads for buildings. National

Appendix.

- NP 082-04 – Design code. Basics of design and actions on buildings. Wind action.

- GP 001-1996 – Soundproofing. Design and execution guidelines for urban areas from

an acoustic perspective.

- SR 12025-2:1994 – Acoustics in constructions. Effects of vibration on buildings or on

parts of buildings. Admissible limits.

- SR EN ISO 717 – 1: 2013 – Acoustics. Assessment of the acoustic insulation of

buildings and building elements. Part 1: Insulation against air noise.

Name and address of the laboratories that have carried out the tests

- CSTC Belgium - Centre Scientifique et Technique de la Construction- B 1342 Limelette,

Avenue P Hooffe, 21, - URBAN INCERC Iasi , str. Prof. Anton Sesan, nr 37, Iasi- 700048

- INCERC Bucureşti, Sos. Pantelimon nr. 266

- PSI Centre for Studies, Experiments and Specialisation, Bd. Ferdinand I nr. 139,

Sector 2, cod. 021388 Bucharest. - ARGEX SA, Belgium– Kruibeeksesteenweg 227 B-2070 Burcht -Zwijndrecht

- CCF Central Laboratory Bucharest, Calea Giulesti nr. 232, sector 6 Bucharest

Producer Authorised representative

MOPATEL PROIECT SRL


Tel/Fax: 0230 573962, GSM 0745 219280

MOPATEL PROIECT SRL

Gainesti, Slatina commune, Suceava county

Tel/Fax: 0230 573962, GSM 0745 219280

Signature Signature

Name:

Position: General Manager Date:

Name:

Position: General Manager Date:

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24

Chapter 3. DEFINING THE PURPOSE AND APPLICATION DOMAIN OF LIFE

CYCLE ASSESSMENT LCA (ISO 14041)

3.1. Defining the purpose of the Life Cycle Assessment study

The purpose of the study consists in evaluating the environment impact of

manufacturing products from composite materials for the thermal streamlining of

buildings based on natural raw matters available locally, namely:

- Natural lime,

- Clay,

- Wood, wood waste, reclaimed wood,

- Vegetable origin materials (straw, hemp, reed)

- Animal origin materials (sheep wool )

- cement

- water

The following are the parameters of the Life Cycle Assessment of the product-system

of composite ecological materials from natural raw matters available locally for the

thermal streamlining of buildings:

extensive temporal covering terms, taking into account the concept of sustainable

development for which the use of ecological building materials is a fundamental

problem for all future generations.

Geographical coverage that will have to be extended from the pilot application

areas, Dolj and Hunedoara, to the entire country. It is possible that Romania’s

experience be exported to other countries with similar climatic conditions, locally

available resources, traditions, etc.

Technological coverage for simple levels of manufacturing, laying, exploitation

and eventually decommissioning through demolition, reuse, or recycling.

Level of treating the environment impact in relation to the predefined conditions of

raw matters as natural materials already integrated into the natural environment and

without any negative impact over their entire life cycle.

3.2. Domain of application

The Life Cycle Assessment of the product-system, composite ecological materials

from natural raw matters available locally for the thermal streamlining of buildings, is

meant to inform the local communities, the local and central authorities, the

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25

economical operators from the area of design and energy auditing of buildings,

contractors and producers of thermal-insulating materials for buildings, on the

impact generated by the manufacturing of products from composite materials for the

streamlining of buildings based on natural raw matters available locally.

Life cycle assessment can contribute to substantiating decisions concerning the

development of the local materials industry, in government and non-government

organisations, for devising strategic sustainable development plans, designing products and

processes, as well as evaluating alternative manufacturing methods from the perspective of

ecological demands that need to be satisfied in conformity with the requirements for energy

efficiency in buildings.

The main function of the product-system defined previously is the thermo-

energetical streamlining of buildings according to the current requirements of energy

efficiency correlated with the smallest possible financial load and with the requirement for

local availability of ecological raw matters.

The functional unit is the quantification in the surfaces of rehabilitated buildings or

buildings that have been thermo-energetically conformed for well-defined exploitation

durations, or in the volume of manufactured product to ensure the reduction of the required

energy consumption, taking into account the durability of the materials used, the quality of

the related laying work, the quality of exploitation and maintenance. The functional unit is

considered to be a reference unit to which the system input and output is compared.

The reference flux is a measure of the output from the proccesses of the given

product-system. The reference flux denotes the quantity of product necessary to be used in

order to cover the necessities of the functional unit.

3.3 System limitations:

The manufacturing of products from composite materials for the thermal

streamlining of buildings based on natural raw matters available locally in the pilot areas of

the project is characterised by the following limitations of the product-system:

3.3.1 Geographical limitations: Dolj and Hunedoara Counties.

Dolj County:

Capital – Craiova

Localities - 3 cities, 4 towns and 103 communes.

Total area: 7414 Km2

Population (2011): 618,335 inhabitants

Density: 83.4 loc./km²

Rank according to population: 7th place

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26

Location: The Dolj County lies in the south-western part of Romania, on the lower

course of the river Jiu, which is the origin of its name (Lower Jiu or Doljiu). The

territory of this county lies between 43°43' and 44°42' north latitude and between

22° 50' and 24° 16' east longitude, meaning that it covers approximately one

latitudinal degree and one and a hald longitudinal degree.

Neighbours: Dolj borders on the following counties: Mehedinti to the west, Gorj

and Vâlcea to the north, Olt to the east and the river Danube to the south, over a

distance of circa 150 km, which constitutes part of the natural border between

Romania and Bulgaria.

Area: The total surface is of 7.414 km2 and represents 3,1% of the country’s area.

From this point of view, Dolj ranks as the 7th of the administrative-territorial units

of Romania.

Climă: The County of Dolj has a temperate climate, with Mediterranean influences

due to its south-western position. Its position and character as a depression near the

curve of the Carpathian and Balcan mountain range determine, on the whole, a

warmer climate than in the central and northern part of the country, with an annual

average of 10-11.5 °C.

Geography: The geography of the county consists of the Danube lowlands, plains

and hills. The altitude increases from 30 to 350m over sea level from the south to

the north of the county, forming a large plateau oriented towards the sun. The relief

looks like flat steps rising into a pyramid-like shape from the Danube lowlands to

the hills of Amaradia, from 30 to 350 m over sea level. The southern region of the

county contains the largest sandy area in the country as well as an impressive

number of lakes formed either by overflow from the Danube, or by accumulation of

precipitations. From the general look of its geography, the Dolj County can be

considered as a plain county, According to the agent that has generated most of its

geographical forms, it falls under the category of Danube counties.

Hydrographic network: consists of the Danube, which flows between Cetate and

Dăbuleni, Jiu, flowing across the county from Filiaşi to Zăval over a distance of

154 km as well as lakes and ponds (Bistret, Fântâna Banului, Maglavit, Golenti,

Ciuperceni Lakes).

Flora: A great part of the south of the county is covered by rich cultivated fields,

and the vegetation is that specific to steppe areas. In the past, the Plain of Oltenia

was covered by oak forests alternating with bushes. The climatic influences and

human intervention have determined changes in the vegetation. Around Ciuperceni

and Apele Vii there are locus tree forests, while extended oak forests predominate

around Verbita, Murgasi and Braniste.

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehedin%C8%9Bi

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A2lcea

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olt

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dun%C4%83re

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rom%C3%A2nia

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetate

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%83buleni,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filia%C8%99i

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C4%83val,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciuperceni,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apele_Vii,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbi%C8%9Ba,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murga%C8%99i,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brani%C8%99te,_Dolj&action=edit&redlink=1

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27

Fauna: The terrestrial and aquatic fauna has undergone changes due to excessive

hunting and fishing, so that many of the species that populated the county of Dolj

survive only in a small number or going completely extinct. Among the species that

populate the lowlands, the most common ones are moor hens, storks, egrets, and

some rodents.

Demographics: The population of the county consists in 734.231 people,

representing 3,3 % of the country’s population

Population

Demographic evolution

The Dolj County comprises 3 cities, 4 towns and 103 communes.

Natural reservations and monuments

Ciurumela Forest from Poiana Mare – This is a forest reservation

consisting of old locus trees, appreciated for its wood quality and for the size

of the trees, which are unique in Europe. The reservation lies on the right of

the Calafat – Bechet – Cernavodă national road, at circa 5 km from the

Poiana Mare commune. The locus tree forest is 90 years old and covers an

area of 8 ha.

Fossil site Bucovat – In the Bucovăţ commune, there is an important fossil

site lying on an area of 4 ha, with a rich fossil fauna of mollusc shells, dating

back to the Paleolithic Age, discovered in the year 1949. Due to the research

and studies published on the mollusc fossil fauna in the area, this site is

protected by law.

Ornithological reservation from Ciupercenii Noi (south of Calafat) – In

the vicinity of the Ciupercenii Noi commune, on a surface of 500 ha, there is

a lowland area declared as ornithological reservation in the year 1971. It is

the home of 140 species of birds, some of them rare, among which the black

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poiana_Mare,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calafat

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechet

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cernavod%C4%83

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucov%C4%83%C8%9B,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciupercenii_Noi,_Dolj


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28

stork, the small egret, the spotted duck, the moor hen, the white wagtail, the

red heron, etc. It is the only part of the Danube lowlands that has no dams.

Wild peony reservation from Plenita – Unique in Romania.

Forests – The Dolj County has several forests, such as Coşoveni (deer and

pheasant hunting grounds 10 km away from Craiova on DN 6), Radovan (30

km away from Craiova) or Branişte (consisting of pedunculate oak).

Nicolae Romanescu Park in Craiova – Created according to the designs of

French architect E. Redont between 1900 – 1903, this is one of the largest

parks in the country (with a total area of 90 ha). It contains greenhouses, a

lake with islands and a beautiful suspended bridge.

Economy:

The economy of the Dolj County is characterised by industry and agriculture strongly

consolidated across its territory, as well as a developing service sector, which has been

evolving steadily. The agricultural sector is relevant especially from the point of view of the

number of people involved, taking into account the fact that it represents 44,24% of the

civil employed population. In spite of the natural vocation of the territory, which has a

morphology favourable for agricultural activities, and despite the large number of people

employed in agriculture, the contribution of this sector to the county’s GDP was, in 2004,

of 19,2%.

The main activity of the county is agriculture. This county has an ideal terrain for growing

cereals, vegetables and vine.

The county has two small harbours on the banks of the Danube - Bechet and Calafat.

The enterprise sector of the Dolj County is modestly developed, with a density of

enterprises that remains under the national average even in the best developed parts of the

county: there are 34,53 enterprises /1000 inhabitants in Craiova and 42,93/1000 at a

national level (2005). On the other hand, the distribution of enterprises across the territory

shows that the economic climate is still little developed in rural areas, where only 12,82%

from the total number of active units are localised, meaning 5 units /1000 inhabitants (in

comparison to the average of 29,46 units/1000 inhabitants registered in urban areas). This

factor, together with the low accessibility, can have a deep negative impact on rural areas,

reducing greatly the possibilities of finding a job and therefore causing the internal or

external migration of the workforce.

There are business infrastructures across the Dolj County: Craiova Industrial Park and

the IPA CIFATT business incubator that operates in Craiova. Dolj has a large number of

research institutes, this county being the 6th in Romania concerning the expenses for

research and development activities. In particular, the University of Craiova represents an

especially important research centre. The main fields of research are mechanical and

electrical engineering, automation, chemistry and agriculture.

The structure of industrial activities within county companies is the following:

Automotive industry - Ford Romania

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleni%C8%9Ba,_Dolj

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craiova



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29

Electro-technical industry - Electroputere (locomotives, transformers, electrical

equipment), Cummins Generator Technologies Romania (transformers, electrical

engines, electrical equipment), Electrical Cells Băilești (electrical cells); ITM

(transformers) from Filiași

Agricultural machines and tools industry - MAT (agricultural machines, tractors),

Ruris (motorised equiopment for microagriculture),

Aeronautical industry - Planes (production and repair of civil and military planes)

Heavy machinery industry - P.U.G. (heavy machinery)

Chemical industry - Doljchim (chemical plant – fertiliser)

Textile industry - Confections (clothing) from Craiova;

Light industry – Sugar factory (sugar) Calafat; Cargill (sunflower seed oil) from

Podari.

Hunedoara County

Capital – Deva

Localities - 7 cities, 7 towns and 55 communes.

Total area: 7063 Km2

Population (2011) : 426165 inhabitants

Density: 69,0 loc/km2

In the past, this county lay in the central-western part of Greater Romania, in

Transylvania, and comprised most of the area of the present Hunedoara County. Its

bordered on the following counties: Severin and Arad to the west, Turda to the north, Sibiu

and Alba to the east, and Gorj and Mehedin to the south.

Descriere:

The Hunedoara County lies in the western part of Romania and occupies an area of

7.016 km2, representing 2,9% of Romania’s total area. It lies along the middle

portion of the Mureş river, surrounded by the Apuseni Mountains (N), Orăştie and

Şureanu Mountains (S-E), Retezat-Godeanu Mountains, Vâlcan and Parâng

Mountains (S) and Poiana Rusca Mountains (S-V).

The relief of the Hunedoara County consists mostly of mountains, but also gorges,

inner and outer mountain depressions as well as hill depressions.

The climate is of a temperate continental type, with winds blowing mostly from

the north-west and west. Precipitations are not uniformly distributed, being more

abundant in the west and in the higher mountains.

The hydrographic network of the Hunedoara County consists mainly of the River

Mures basin, and the basins of the Jiu and Crisul Alb rivers. The density of the

hydrographic network ranges between 0,5 km/km² and 1,1 km/km². The Mures

river is the main waterway of the county and runs through it over a distance of 105

km. The basin of the river has 6.591 km². Among the main affluents of the Mures

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30

river are Orastie (or Town Water), with a length of 47 km, Strei, with a length of

89 km, Geoagiu, with a length of 34 km and Călan, with a length of 20 km. The

basin of the Jiu river in the Hunedoara County consists of 1.050 km².

Crișul Alb runs through the Hunedoara County over a distance of 66 km.

The higher density of lakes belongs to the Retezat Mountains, with over 80 lakes.

The most important of these are Bucura, Zănoaga, Custuri. The greatest expanse of

the alpine lakes is that of the Bucura Lake, with a surface of over 10,5 hectares,

and the lake lying at the highest altitude is the Tăul Mare Lake (or Custura lake),

lying at an altitude of 2.270 metres.

The first human settlements in the land of Hunedoara date back to the Paleolithic

Age, tens of thousands of years ago. The Hunedoara County is rich in historical

vestiges and architectural monuments. Among these are Deva Fortress, Gradiștea

Muncelului Fortress, Colţ Fortress, Corvin Castle, Costești Fortress, Blidaru

Fortress, Mălăiești Fortress, Deva Prefecture.

The county has the following cities and towns: Deva (capital city with 76000

inhabitants), Aninoasa, Brad, Călan, Hateg, Hunedoara, Lupeni, Orestie, Petrila,

Petrosani, Simeria, Uricani, Vulcan.

Resources - The Hunedoara County is rich in mineral resources. Gold and silver

ore as well as coal are mined here (especially pitcoal in the Jiu Valley). Other

well-represented industries are machine constructions, chemical industry, electrical

energy, furniture and building materials. The county also has the thermal water

resorts of Geoagiu and Calan.

Demographics: The population of the county numbers 426165 inhabitants.

ˉ Structure of the population – 89.2% Romanians, 8.6% Hungarians, 1.2%

Romany

ˉ The demographic evolution of the population of the Hunedoara county

according to the INSSE sources is presented in the diagram below

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Economy:

The best developed activities in the county are the mining and metallurgical

industries (over 62%); there are also industrial activities related to electrical energy,

exploitation and processing of wood, building materials, light industry, food chemistry,

handcrafts, etc.

The main products furnished by the industry of the county are the following:

- Coal, iron ore, cast iron, steel and laminate products

- Machines and equipment for mining works.

- Electrical energy,

- Building materials - lime, cement, reinforced precast concrete products,

processed wood products

- textile products - fabrics (silk), knit confections and fur

- products resulting from processing rubber and plastic

- food products – beer.

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Chapter 4 . ANALYSIS OF THE LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY

The analysis of the LCA inventory implies procedures for collecting and calculating

data on the product-system that will be included in the inventory, in order to quantify the

input of materials, energy or chemicals, as well as the output of materials, energy,

emissions into the air, water and soil, which are relevant for the product-system. More

succintly, the collection of the input and output of a product-system over the duration of its

life cycle is called inventory analysis.

The used data can come from a variety of sources, including direct measures,

theoretical materials and energy balances, statistical data, information from publications.

The data collected and calculated serves to create interpretations, conclusions and

recommendations for the decision-making factors. When the studied system implies

multiple products (for example multiple products resulting from oil refinement: gas, petrol,

natural gas) the need arises for allocation procedures for the the distribution of input and

output flows into or out of the product-system. The material and energy flows (input and

output) as well as the emissions into the environment associated to the system must be

allocated to the various products according to documented and justified procedures.

4.1 Principles of LCA inventory analysis

The reason behind the need to use local ecological materials in constructions,

especially within the context of the demand for urgent energy streamlining of buildings in

all countries, is the need to decrease as much as possible the negative impact on the

environment and to create the conditions for man to become closer to nature and to

the result of its creation in all areas, but especially in that of the built environment.

The manufacturing of products for the thermal streamlining of buildings based

on natural raw matters available locally is one way to achieve this objective.

In general, the impact of buildings on the environment manifests itself mainly

through high energy consumption and important CO2 emissions – which causes global

warming and air pollution – due to the burning of fossil fuels, through water pollution –

due to using water to wash equipment, through the production of solid waste – resulting

from demolitions, through noise and dust – caused by mixing constituting materials, etc.

While the traditional approach (quality, cost and time factors) is based on the

principle of maximising the energy efficiency, without taking into account the impact on

the environment, the new approach based on the concept of sustainable development

accentuates the importance of reducing the buildings’ impact on the environment.

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Modern concepts concerning the reduction of the impact that buildings have on the

environment lead to the identification of the following essential stages for achieving a

building with reduced environmental impact:

Formulating an “eco-sustainable design method”

Adopting the most adequate and simplest technologies

Establishing the methodologies for evaluating the impact on the

environment and the optimisation of the design, execution, maintenance

and exploitation of buildings.

Eco-sustainable design is a method that includes environment issues in the design

activity and permanently correlates the technical design principles with those concerning

environmental requirements.

In order to establish the main directions of design, it is necessary to understand the

mechanisms that cause the impact on the environment and the use of the most adequate

and simplest technology, from the point of view of energy consumption and auxiliary

materials, in order to reduce this impact. The impact of thermal insulation materials on the

environment is related to all the specific stages in the life of thermal insulation systems, as

follows:

supply/preparation of raw matter for thermal insulation materials, binding

agents, wood waste, vegetable products, sheep/goat wool, etc.;

production of composite materials and derived thermal insulating

products;

execution, exploitation and maintenance of the thermal systems obtained

from such materials;

dismounting the thermal systems after their life duration has expired;

demolition of the thermal-insulating assemblies;

reuse and recycling of basic materials;

recycling of auxiliary materials, of the mechanical anchor system, etc.

The methods and models of evaluation / optimisation concerning the impact on the

environment are based on the following criteria:

- Complexity criterion – concerning the degree to which the most important

environment-related requirements are met;

- Life duration criterion – considers and evaluates the entire life of buildings

with ecological thermal systems made of local materials;

- Probability criterion – concerning the probability of the probable variation

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dependency in life duration assessment.

The life cycle of the thermal insulating elements of buldings covers the following

stages:

- Purchasing the raw matter

- Production of the composite materials and of the derived finished products

- Design

- Transport to the laying site

- Laying and execution of thermal streamlining of the building

- Exploitation and current use, maintenance.

- Renovation, current repair over the entire life of a building

- Demolition, recycling and waste disposal (figure 1).

Figure 1 – Typical stages of the life cycle of products from composite ecological and thermal-

insulating materials

The performance of a thermal-insulating assembly or of a thermal system obtained

from ecological materials available locally and efficient economically as an initial

investment and energetically as exploitation over the entire functioning period of the

building is essentially dependent and influences the total value of the impact on the

environment according to the following three basic factors:

- quality of the initial design

- quality of the laying

- quality of exploitation and maintenance.

4.2 Flow diagram specific to the life cycle assessment LCA of composite

materials for the thermal streamlining of buildings based on natural raw matters

available locally

The evaluation sequences of the impact on the environment need environment input

data associated to the materials and technologies used in the area of thermo-energetical

streamlining of buildings.

The comsumption flow of materials, energy and utilities concerning the stages of the

life cycle of thermal insulation building elements mentioned above (construction, use,

1.Production / purchase/ raw matter supply:

Composing raw matter (slaked lime, cement, wood waste, straws, sheep wool, etc.)

Energy

Water

2. Achievement:

Design

Production of composite materials

Transport

Laying and execution

3.Use/ Exploitation

Use

Maintenance

Repair

Renovation

4. Decommissioning

Demolition

Reuse

Recycling

Disposal

Filling

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maintenance, repair, demolition and recycling) is identified and indicated by the chain of

components described in the diagram below.

Flow diagram LCA for materials and energy – production of composite materials

for the thermal streamlining of buildings based on natural raw matters available

locally

STAGE 1. Production / purchase/ raw matter supply: Basic raw matters- input

Phases: 1. chalkstone for lime: extraction from quarry – transport- crushing-oven baking – extinguishing by water (exothermal reaction) – hydration for at least 6 months – obtaining slaked lime (aerial lime) as an ecological basic binding agent 2. clay 3. wood waste 4. vegetable wood waste from forestry or agriculture (waste from coarse cutting, forest trimming, mill saws, carpentry/furniture workshops and factories, straw, hemp and reed) 5. fibres of animal origin (sheep or goat wool, animal hair) 6.cement 7. water

Energy (electrical, thermal, fuelsi) : - In phases 1, 2. 3, 4, 5, 6- thermal and transport fuel. - The extinguishing of lime is exothermal, so the energy balance of

phase 1 is favourable by reclaiming the energy released and using it for drying raw matters (sawdust, shavings) or finished products.

Local transport – phases 1...6

Polluting emissions: CO2, SOx, NOx, solid suspensions, solid waste from phase 1 –

burning of chalkstone and transport.

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STAGE 2 Achievement: Design

Production of composite materials – Phases: 1. Preparation of shuttering / moulds 2. Preparation-conditioning of raw matters: drying by natural or

mechanical ventilation of vegetable-wood waste at conditioning humidity and washing-mincing of vegetable or animal origin fibres.

3. Mixing of components for the composite material 4. Casting into shuttering – moulds and vibration 5. Natural or forced drying - storage 6. Packaging

Local transport

Laying and execution of the thermal system on construction sites

Electrical or/and thermal energy of low power in phases 2, 3, 5

Polluting emissions: CO2, SOx, NOx, solid suspensions, solid waste in

low quantities in phases 1 ,2,3 and during transport

STAGE 3 Use / Exploitation Phases:

1. Use 2. Maintenance 3. Repair 4. Renovation

Energy: necessary in all phases 1….4 Repair / renovation materials: necessary in phases 2,3,4 Polluting emissions: CO2, SOx, NOx, solid suspensions, solid waste in low quantities in all phases

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The defining relationship between the building and the system applied on it, with

its energy consumption, used materials and impact on the environment, is suggested in

the following figure, from the perspective of the concept of life cycle assessment and of

functionality for a building obtained from ecological local materials.

STAGE 4 Decommissioning Phases:

1. Demolition 2. Reuse 3. Recycling 4. Disposal 5. Fillings

Local transport necessary in phases 1,2,3,4,5

Electrical or/and thermal energy of low power in phases 1, 3, 5

Polluting emissions: CO2, SOx, NOx, solid suspensions, solid waste in

low quantities in phases 1 ,2,3 , 5 and during transport

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Chapter 5. EVALUATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ON THE LIFE

CYCLE FOR BUILDINGS FROM LOCALLY AVAILABLE ECOLOGICAL

MATERIALS

Taking into account the entire life cycle of a product, the impact on the environment

can be expressed as the sum of partial influences Ei :

Etot = Σ Ei

For the case of buildings and thermal-insulating systems made from local natural

materials with a strong ecological character, we expect, according to the demand to adapt

and adopt as extensively as possible the concept of durable sustainable development, to

reduce the impact on the environemt as much as possible.

The impact components related to the stages and phases from the life cycle of these

product-systems constitute the total effect and impact.

Etot = Eini + Eoper + Em + Σ Erepar + Σ Erenov + Edemol + Σ Erecicl

where:

Eini = initial impact on the environment coming from the production stages of

bulding materials, design and execution

Eoper = environment impact associated to the structure use,

Em = environment impact associated to maintenance,

Erepar = environment impact associated to repairs in case of damage,

Erenov = environment impact associated to renovation,

Edemol = environment impact associated to demolition,

Erecicl = environment impact associated to recycling and waste storage.

5.1 Life cycle assessment based on the priciples from standard ISO 14040

The life cycle assessment by implementing the principles of ISO 14040 is done in

an iterative manner, including the interdependent stages described and detailed in chapters

2,3 and 4 namely: defining the objectives and purpose, presenting the analysis, evaluating

the impact, interpreting the results.

The process of optimisation aims to minimise the impact on the environment and

has a strong complex character, based on iterative actions that must take into account all

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types of significant interactions over the life cycle of the thermal-insulating products

obtained from natural materials available locally.

One type of optimisation is presented below.

Optimisation process:

1. Optimisation of materials:

DESIGN OF THE MIXTURE FOR THE COMPOSITE

ECOLOGICAL MATERIAL

- selection of the main components of the composite

materials (slaked and completely hydrated lime, thermal-

insulating waste) – use of secondary materials, especially

of materials resulting as a waste from previous processes

or are without value, recycled or reused (sawdust, straws,

wool, etc.)

2. Optimisation of the form:

DESIGN OF THE THERMAL INSULATION

ELEMENTS AND OF THE THERMAL-INSULATING

SYSTEM STRUCTURE

- selecting the form of the thermal insulating elements and of

the entire thermal-insulating system with local ecological

materials

3. Optimisation of the life cycle:

DESIGN OF THE LIFE CYCLE -the concept of predicting the life cycle

-designing a longer functioning period

- designing the maintenance, repairs and reconstruction

- designing the demolition, recycling, reuse of thermal-

insulating products from local natural materials.

In developed countries the energy consumption rises dramatically from year to year,

and at the same time CO2 emissions increase. At present, 20% of the total population on

the globe uses 80% of the resources, the construction industry being mostly dependent on

resources and respectively responsible for approximately 40% of the energy consumption

and gas emissions.

The Kyoto protocol, adopted at the International Conference for the Prevention of

Global Warming (COP3), from 1997, requests Japan, the US and the EU to reduce CO2

emissions by aproximatively 7% until 2010, by comparison to their levels in 1990. To this

purpose, all the signing countries, and therefore Romania, must take efficient measures to

achieve this goal. One of these measures can be related to the use of recycled materials in

preparing thermal insulation materials. At the same time, it is necessary to change the

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global approach of processes that are part of constructions also taking into account

ecological concerns.

The present tendency in sustainable development is to minimise the initial cost as well as

the impact on the environment. For this reason, the approach to LCA is correlated to the

assessment of life cycle costs (LCC).

5.2 Assessment of the Life Cycle Cost – LCC (Life Cycle Cost)

Life cycle cost (LCC – Life Cycle Cost) represents an instrument for evaluating the

performance of the total cost of a product over a certain period, including purchase,

functioning, maintenance and elimination costs.

LCC assessment consists in evaluating the various way to achieve the goals set by

customers, where alternatives do not differ only where initial costs are concerned, but also

include sequential operational costs.

LCC represents the central point in the present tendency to ensure an efficient financial

distribution for buildings and built goods.

The inventory of the constructions components for use in LCA can also be used in the

case of LCC but there is also a need for complementary information concerning the

transformation in cost units €/MJ and €/kg.

The benefit of an LCC analysis consists in the fact that it allows the study of costs over

the entire life cycle for various construction products, respectively for the buildings itself,

as well as choosing an adequate design solution. For a fair assessment, we must examine

various life cycle scenarios.

LCA and LCC Integration. Due to the fact that both LCA and LCC are based on the

life cycle of the building process and materials, they can be combined to offer a potential

cost for the life cycle as well as its impact on the environemt. The combination of these

two factors can be used to:

Choose an alternative technical solution;

Identify a technical solution that fulfils the environment target for the lowest cost;

Recalculate the impact on the environment in terms of cost;

Evaluate the investment.

Therefore, both LCC and LCA can be used for common goals for a wider assessment

process, where each step can constitute the input for the next step.

At a European level, one of the bodies functioning within the European Committee for

Standardisation (CEN), is Technical Committee 350 (TC350) that offers the basis for the

legal framework concerning sustainable development in the domain of constructions.

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The CEN TC 350 documents have been reunited in the following European norms:

EN 15643-1:2010: Sustainability of construction works – Assessment of

buildings - Part 1: General framework;

EN 15643-2:2011 Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of

buildings - Part 2: Framework for the assessment of environmental performance

EN 15643-3:2012 - Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of

buildings - Part 3: Framework for the assessment of social performance

EN 15643-4:2012 - Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of

buildings - Part 4: Framework for the assessment of economic performance

CEN/TR 15941:2010 - Sustainability of construction works - Environmental

product declarations - Methodology for selection and use of generic data

EN 15942:2011 - Sustainability of construction works - Environmental

product declarations - Communication format business-to-business

EN 15804:2012: Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product

declarations - Core rules for the product category of construction products;

EN 15978:2011 - Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of

environmental performance of buildings - Calculation method.

These documents are based partially on the family of international standards ISO

14000 published in 2006 in the second edition of LCA standards:

ISO 14040 – Environmental Management – Life-cycle Assessment – Principles and

Framework,

ISO 14044 – Environmental Management – Life-cycle Assessment – Requirements and

Guidelines.

The ISO 14040 standard describes the principles and famework for conducting an LCA

analysis. This also allows for a general presentation of the methods used to conduct an

LCA analysis. Due to the fact that the standard is applicable in various industrial and

consumption sectors, it only has a general character. However, it includes a

comprehensive series of terms and definitions, a methodological framework of

application, reporting considerations, an approach to critical reviews as well as an

appendix describing LCA applications. The ISO 14044 standard specifies the

requirements and offers application indications for LCA. The standard is conceived so as

to allow preparing and conducting life cycle anylses as well as offerring indications for

interpreting the impact and the various phases of LCA, as well as for the nature and

quality of the collected data.

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Chapter 6. INTERPRETATION OF THE LIFE CYCLE FOR THERMAL-

INSULATING LOCALLY AVAILABLE ECOLOGICAL MATERIALS.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

In order to interpret the intensity of the impact of building materials meant for the

thermo-energentical streamlining based on ecological principles, from natural waste

materials or resulting from another process, available as close as possible to the production

site, it is clear that this constitutes the objective of the project, namely:

“achieving the efficient thermal insulation of buildings inhabited by beneficiaries

with limited resources by adopting the most inexpensive, “cleanest” and least polluting

solutions, which has been identified as possible if using the materials with the least impact

on the environment and implicitly on living conditions, hygiene and health.”

Evidently, these materials can only be those originating from the environment,

natural, traditional materials used long before the past decades, when the environment was

practically untouched by any factor with negative impact on its quality.

The environment impact of the traditional home, from the perspective of processes, is

given by fossil fuels, as these resources are used in manufacturing building materials at all

levels. Among these, burnt brick stands out (the material used on walls). Additionally,

important impact values have been registered for emissions of inorganic substances that

create breathing problems, substances that produce climatic changes and issues related to

soil exploitation.

The same study focusing on constructive elements shows that the major impact is

caused in this case by exterior walls and foundations. Both constructive elements are great

resource consumers and also have a large impact on human health. However, the same

thing cannot be said about roofing systems, whose major environment impact is given by

the use of large wood quantities.

From the perspective of a life cycle-based approach, it is clear that the construction

process is not complete without the final stage of a material’s life cycle. Normally, the final

destination of waste resulting from building materials represents a problem in every country

and can differ even within a single country, from region to region.

There are materials that can be reused in their existing form for the same purpose

(ballast, for example), materials that can be reused for other purposes of an inferior nature

(for example, crushed concrete as a layer for road foundations) and materials that need to

be treated as waste (incineration) or that can be used simply as filling.

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One way to evaluate the environment impact is to draw a direct comparison between

materials, from the point of view of their capacity to be reused/recycled/incinerated or to

be used as filling (Table 6.1)

Material Reuse [%] Recycling [%] Incineration [%] Filling [%]

Steel – profiles – 100 – –

Steel – reinforcement – 80 – 20 Bricks, tiles – – – 100 Wood 35 – 65 Ballast 70 – – 30 Concrete, mortar – – – 100 Other inert materials – – – 100 Other combustible materials – – 100 –

When looking at life cycles from the perspective of this final stage, we may notice that

natural materials (wood and natural aggregates) clearly stand out in the sense of increasing

reusability and capitalisation for the production of energy (wood incineration).

In conclusion, natural materials have the least impact on the environment.

Integration of the building maintenance stage. Irrespective of the chosen

constructive system, a building needs maintenance work over its entire life cycle.

Maintenance can consist in various types of work depending on the structural typology

and it will be more or less expensive. This is a very important part of a building’s life

cycle.

It is difficult to integrate maintenance work for a structure because the predictions that

can be made in advance cannot be realistic enough. Even under these circumstances, in

order to complete the life cycle of buildings, the following predictions were made (a kind

of maintenance planning) for each home conceived for a standard functioning duration of

50 years:

● In the case of traditional homes:

- 9 interior redecoration instances (once every 5 years);

- 3 exterior redecoration instances (once every 12.5 years);

- 3 changes of sanitary objects for the bathroom/kitchen, tiles, furniture, drywall

plates, etc. (once every 12.5 years);

- 1 change of the electrical and heating system (once every 25 years);

- 1 change of the roofing system (wood and envelope) (once every 25 years);

- 1 change of the exterior thermal system (once every 25 years).

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For the traditional house, maintenance comes down to wall plastering, thermal system and a

part of the wood structure for the roof. In both cases, maintenance work for the

infrastructure has not been taken into consideration.

Additionally, the same disposal conditions for the life cycle end have been taken into

consideration (see table 6.1).

As the quantities used for the analysis are smaller than those used for the building

process, the final grade is also lower. The major impact categories are the same (fossil

fuels, inorganic breathing-impairing substances and soil exploitation) and account for more

than 85% of the total grade.

In the case of maintenance for a house built for example on a metallic structure, eco-

toxicity also remains as an important category in the final grade.

As a general tendency, the following impact categories are the most important:

● Using fossil fuels, inorganic substances causing breathing problems and climatic

changes: mainly due to production processes that need large quantities of energy

and that directly affect the quantities of fossil fuel used. These processes contribute

greatly to the emissions of inorganic substances and gases that cause climatic

changes;

● Soil exploitation: due to the fact that soil quality is affected (wood exploitation,

quarries, etc.).

The construction industry uses great quantities of raw matter, which also implies a

high consumption of energy. Choosing materials with high incorporated energy implies a

high initial level of energy consumption in the stage of building execution and determines

subsequently the energy consumption during exploitation, for heating, ventilation and air

conditioning.

As presented in the previous chapters, the most frequently used building materials are

compared to ecological materials available locally according to three different categories of

impact.

The selection of materials for the ecological design of new buildings and the

rehabilitation of existing ones prove that the impact of building products can be reduced

significantly in the following ways:

Promoting the use of the best and simplest applicable technologies;

Eco-sustainable innovation in production units;

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Replacing the use of raw natural resources upon their first use (for example lumber)

with the use of waste from these resources, resulting from other production processes

which take better advantage of the raw matter;

Local availability and supply of these resources that would stimulate the

competition between producers in order to create the least expensive but the best quality

products with ecological efficiency and that have a favourable environment impact score.

The production, transport and laying of conventional materials, such as steel, concrete

or glass, necessitates a large quantity of energy, the so-called incorporated energy, which

represents an increasingly significant part of the cost and environment impact of a building

as a whole, as energy efficiency increases and the exploitation costs decrease.

Life cycle assessment must help the decision-making process of selecting the most

appropriate technology available and minimising the environment impact of buildings

through the used materials, starting from the stage of ecological design and finishing with

the final stage of renovation, reuse and recycling. [ 5 ] and [ 6 ] .

Many times, products that are presented as inexpensive on a medium-term basis can

generate great exploitation/maintenance costs or great waste management costs. On the

contrary, it is possible that, over their entire life cycle, materials with significant CO2,

emissions upon production, such as concrete, or brick can have chances of being reused,

gaining a second life as filling material for infrastructure, with a double-sided effect: the

reduction of emissions by comparison with obtaining filling materials from quarries, and

the CO2 absorption as a result of recarbonation processes.

As a result, it is essential that we apply the life cycle approach and that we consider

economical costs by LCC assessment (Life Cycle Cost) as well as the evaluation of the

LCA environment impact ("Life Cycle Assessment"), in order to identify the most efficient

and appropriate materials and technologies from an ecological and economical point of

view.

The conclusions of this report are based on the comparative evaluation of the life

cycle of the most frequently used building materials with great impact on energy and on the

environment, by comparison with the ecological materials with a low environment impact.

They result in specific measures for the reduction of the impact in all stages of the

product’s life, from manufacturing to transport and finally to disposal.

In order to perform a better LCA evaluation for building materials [ 11 ] destined for

energy streamlining, it is very important that we make a quantitative analysis of the energy

involved in manufacturing specific materials for the surface unit and the energy necessary

for operating the building over its lifetime.

Thus, the manufacturing of the materials for a square metre of built area in a standard

building requires the energy quantity produced from the burning of more than 150 l of oil [

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12 ]. Each square metre built implies an emission of cca. 0,5 tons of carbon dioxide and an

energy consumption of cca. 5600 MJ (evidently variable, depending on the design of the

building).

In the area of thermal insulation, LCA studies such as the present one show a

significant reduction of the environment impact of ecological, natural materials that are

available locally and reusable/recyclable by comparison to other synthetic insulation

materials.

Additionally, and according to other LCA studies, in relation to energy consumption,

polluting emissions and economical aspects, the advantages have proven to be clearly

superior for thermal insulation based on composite materials with natural raw matters [ 15

], which can reduce energy consumption, the equivalent CO2 emissions and the total

economic cost up to 60 % by comparison to conventional insulation.

There have been LCA studies concerning:

Various uses of wood for floors [ 16 ];

Materials with phase change in buildings [ 17 ];

Green roofs [ 18 ], [ 19 ] and [ 20 ] ;

Ceramic products [ 21 ], [ 22 ], [ 23 ] and [ 24 ] with high energy intensity of

production processes, especially during burning;

Natural products such as adobe bricks, which, in spite of the energy necessary for

operating the building (modest thermal resistance), reduce the energy required for

production, leading, over the entire life cycle of the building [ 25 ], to a 1,5 and 2 times

reductions by comparison to the present conventional materials.

In general, the energy due to the materials used for the structure of buildings comes to

represent over 50 % of the energy incorporated in the whole of the building [ 26 ].

In this sense, by using alternative materials, such as blocks of stabilised earth or clay,

instead of materials with high incorporated energy, such as reinforced concrete, we can

save cca. 20 % of the energy accumulated over a life cycle of 50 years [27].

Additionally, the recycling of building materials [ 28 ] and [ 29 ] is essential for

reducing the energy incorporated in the building. For example, the use of recycled steel and

aluminium allows savings of over 50 % in incorporated energy [ 30 ].

Studied from various countries have shown that many wooden structure buildings

need less energy and emit less CO2 over their lifetime than buildings with other types of

structures [ 32 ], [ 33 ] and [ 34 ] .

For example, in a building, the energy incorporated in a steel structure is cca. 1,6

greater than that in concrete structures, which is in turn 1,3 times greater than that of a

wooden structure [ 35 ].

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In Northern European countries, various studies on life cycle that have been

performed indicate the advantages of wooden structures. Thus, the quantity of greenhouse

effect gases that are avoided to be produced by replacing steel with wood in buildings in

Norway and Sweden is 0.06-0.88 kg, which is the equivalent of CO2 per kg of input

material (wood), while the replacement of concrete with wood leads to reductions of

0.16….1.77 kg CO2-Eq/kg [ 36 ].

It is important to remember that these buildings with wooden structures and a system

of biomass co-generation will lead to a significant reduction of CO2 emissions over their

entire life cycle [ 37 ].

- The methodology used is the one specified in the methodological standards ISO

14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 with hypotheses and simplifications.

The methodology adapted to the purpose of LCA offers several criteria for making

decisions [ 49 ], depending on the values of three different impact categories for several

building materials. It is obvious that, in countries with a deficit of water, the water demand

will be more important than in countries with abundant resources of water; the same stands

for energy in countries with a deficit of energy. For these reasons, the use of the calculated

scores as an average of several values has been avoided because these can be subjective and

they do not reflect the situation in Romania, and therefore not that in the pilot areas of Dolj

and Hunedoara.

- The purpose of this LCA study is to evaluate the energy and environment impact

specific to the various building materials destined for the thermo-energetical streamlining

under economic efficiency conditions, analysing the possibilities of improving and

supplying guidelines for the selection of materials and techniques that are most appropriate

for this purpose.

- The impact categories in this study have been selected taking into account the

present energy context and the environment problems in Europe, as well as the necessity to

satisfy the objectives of Directive 20-20-20.

The impact categories taken into consideration are:

The demand for primary energy (in MJ - EQ),

The quantity of polluting emissions in CO2 kg equivalent (kg CO2-Eq)

Water demand (in litres).

- The functional unit selected is the unit of mass (or volume) of used material.

- The stages taken into consideration are the manufacturing of the materials, the

transportation from the factory to the construction site, the construction and execution of

the building, the demolition of the building, as well as the final disposal of the product.

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Concerning the transport from the factory to the construction site, table 6.2 presents

the values from the evaluation of the impact through several means of transportation.

Table 6.2. The impact calculation coefficients for the transportation stage 1 t of

material, from the factory to the construction site.

Impact category

(Categoria de impact)

Lorry road

Transport rutier

m1

Freight rail

Cale ferata

M2

Transoceanic

freight ship

Nave maritime

m3

Primary energy demand /

Cererea de energie primara

(MJ–Eq/km)

3.266 0.751 0.170

Global Warming Potential /

Potentialul de incalzire globala

(kg CO2–Eq/km)

0.193 0.039 0.011

Water demand / necesarul de

apa

(l/km)

1.466 1.115 0.097

The impact caused by transportation is determined according to the following

equation:

It = m1 x d1 + m2 x d2 + m3 x d3,

where d1, d2, d3 are the “di” distances covered by each means of transportation (in km), for

transporting 1t of materials.

Concerning the stage of final disposal, the impact related to building demolition is

evaluated in relation with the most frequent final methods of eliminating materials [ 47 ],

such as landfills or incineration grounds.

6.2 Result analysis

Tables 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 , 6.6 , 6.7 and 6.8, present the results of the LCA evaluations

depending on and in comparison with various types of evaluated building materials. It is

important to remember that the resulting impact refers to 1 kg of material. There can be

different forms of impact, depending on the density of the materials if the functional unit

taken into consideration is a cubic metre of material.

Within this group of products, stoneware has the highest demand of primary energy,

mainly due to the high consumption of natural gas in the production stage. In fact, the stage

of oven burning can represent up to 80 % from the total consumption in the production

installation. Additionally, the water demand for the cooling of ceramic stoneware is 7,5 or

greater than that for ceramic tiles or bricks.

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49

Concerning bricks, the use of light clay bricks (85 % clay and 15 % straw) or silicate-

chalkstone bricks (90 % lime and 10 % sand) evidently reduces the impact on the

environment.

Table 6.3. – LCA results for several types of burnt clay products, bricks and tiles

Building product

Produs pentru.

construcţii

Density

densitate

kg/m3

Thermal

conductivity

conductivitate

termică

W/mK

Primary

energy

demand

cererea de

energie

primară

MJ–Eq/kg

Global

Warming

Potential

potenţial de

încălzire

globală

kg CO2–

Eq/kg

Water

demand

Cererea

de apă

l/kg

Ordinary brick/

Cărămidă

obişnuită

1800 0.95 3.562 0.271 1.890

Light clay brick

Cărămizi uşoare 1020 0.29 6.265 −0.004 1.415

Sand-lime brick

Cărămizi nisip-var 1530 0.7 2.182 0.120 3.009

Ceramic tile

Placi ceramice 2000 1 15.649 0.857 14.453

Quarry tile

Placi de carieră 2100 1.5 2.200 0.290 3.009

Ceramic roof tile

Placi ceramice de

acoperiş

2000 1 4.590 0.406 2.456

Concrete roof tile

Ţigla de beton 2380 1.65 2.659 0.270 4.104

Fibre cement roof

slate

Placi fibre ardezie

acoperiş cu ciment

1800 0.5 11.543 1.392 20.368

Although light oven-burnt clay-and-straw bricks have a relatively high demand of

primary energy, it is important to mention that 45 % of this energy comes from biomass,

due to the straw content. Additionally, light clay bricks have a practically neutral balance of

CO2 emissions, so that their use instead of conventional bricks prevents the emission of

0,27 kg of CO2 for each kg. of replaced material.

It is important to point out the potential to reduce the existing impact of ceramic

products by improving their production technology, such as replacing old intermittent

ovens with tunnel ovens with an energy efficiency higher than 20 %, using high-speed

burners, and recovering the heat from the smoke forming in the oven for the

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50

preheating/drying of the product.

Thus we can obtain energy reductions of 5 % and, respectively, 8% , while the

installation of co-generation systems leads to reductions of cca. 10 %.

Table 6. 4. – LCA results for thermal/sound insulation materials.

Building

product

Produs ptr.

construcţii

Density

densitate

kg/m3

Thermal

conductivity

conductivitate

termică

W/mK

Primary

energy

demand

cererea de

energie

primară

MJ–Eq/kg

Global

Warming

Potential

potenţial de

încălzire

globală

kg CO2–Eq/kg

Water

demand

Cererea de

apă

l/kg

EPS foam slab

Polistiren

expandat EPS

plăci

20…30 0.038...0,044 105.486 7.336 192.729

Rock wool

Vata minerala 60..100 0.045 26.393 1.511 32.384

Polyurethane

rigid foam

Spuma

poliuretanica

rigida PUR

30…80 0.032 103.782 6.788 350.982

Cork slab

Placa de plută 150 0.049 51.517 0.807 30.337

Cellulose fibre

Fibră de celuloză 50 0.04 10.487 1.831 20.789

Wood wool

Lână de lemn 180 0.07 20.267 0.124 2.763

Sheep wool

Lână de oaie 30…100 0,035…0,05 9,44 0,134 1,89

It is important to emphasize the fact that the impact of conventional insulation

materials with a high level of industrial processing, such as expanded polystyrene, is clearly

greater than the impact of natural materials, such as cork, wood fibres and sheep wool, or

recycled materials such as cellulose fibres.

Thus, while synthetic insulation materials, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) or

polyurethane foam, cause an average emission of cca 7 kg CO2-Eq/kg, high consumption

of gas and hydrocarbons (oil), natural insulation materials, such as sheep wool, or wood

fibres, emit 98 % less CO2, also taking into account the stage of final disposal by

incineration.

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51

Consequently, it is essential to promote a radical change in the architectonic,

structural, functional and energy design of buildings, to facilitate the reduction of the

environment impact in the end-of-life-cycle stage.

Considering the present massive use of synthetic insulation materials, it is necessary

and mandatory to counter that tendency with naturals, ecological materials with low

environment impact.

Thus, for sheep wool, for secondary products such as wood, straw, or reed waste,

today’s society acknowledges the fact that these materials do not have to be treated as

unusable waste, but rather as inexpensive raw matters that are abundant and healthy for

humans and for the environment, and which will bring an additional contribution to the

sustainable and balanced development of rural and urban areas.

In this context, for example, obtaining cork from the forests and farms in Southern

Europe is one of the available examples of producing ecological insulation materials. Cork

is extracted from cork trees during the summer, mandatorily every 10 years, for forest

maintenance reasons. This does not affect the state or equilibrium of the trees. On the

contrary, it contributes to maintaining an ecosystem with high ecological value, which

would probably disappear if there were no economical use for them.

In spite of the demand for primary energy in cork plates, it is important to point out

the fact that more than 50 % of this energy originates in biomass and, in reality, this impact

is very low.

The greatest analysed impact in terms of thermal insulation has been identified in

plates of expanded polystyrene and rigid polyurethane foam, with the greatest levels of

demand in water quantity, CO2 print, and for primary energy, as a result of the demand for

natural gas and oil for the various production stages. The processes that include the final

disposal of synthetic products by means of incinerators also have a greater impact in terms

of global warming and polluting emissions.

In comparison with these synthetic insulation materials (EPS, PUR), the impact of

rock wool, for example, includes a primary energy demand that is 4 times lower, a carbon

print that is 4,7 times lower and a water print that is 8,4 times lower.

However, rock wool needs a certain degree of fuel consumption to melt basaltic rock,

and its manufacturing process includes the use of phenolic resins, with a high specific

impact.

At present, there is a preference for using conventional synthetic insulation materials,

as there is a well-organised and widespread commercial network that offers smaller prices.

In order to change this situation, the various administrations must stop the ignorance

and scepticism of some architects and beneficiaries concerning solutions that are better for

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52

the environment and for human health and that encourage the use of natural thermal

insulation materials.

These can ensure a superior level of insulation and hygro-thermal comfort in

buildings. The promotion of a strong commercial network for ecological insulation

materials would compete with conventional synthetic insulation materials in the same

conditions.

Table 6.5. - LCA results for cement, mortars with cement, concrete and lime

Building

product

Produs ptr.

Constructii

Density

densitate

kg/m3

Thermal

conductivity

conductivitate

termică

W/mK

Primary

energy

demand

cererea de

energie

primară

MJ–Eq/kg

Global

Warming

Potential

potenţial de

încălzire

globală

kg CO2–Eq/kg

Water

demand

Cererea de

apă

l/kg

Cement

Ciment 3150 1.4 4.235 0.819 3.937

Cement mortar

Mortar de

ciment

1525 0.7 2.171 0.241 3.329

Reinforced

concrete

Beton armat

2546 2.3 1.802 0.179 2.768

Concrete

Beton 2380 1.65 1.105 0.137 2.045

Lime

Var stins

(aerian) stins

şi hidratat

1300…1500 0,65….0,8 1,45 - 0,23 3,555

As shown in table 6.5, the impact of cement (clinker, gypsum and chalkstone) is

greater than that of cement mortar (cement and sand) and concrete (cement, gravel and

water), as natural materials, such as gravel, sand and water, added to cement, help to dilute

and reduce the impact.

At the same time, it is especially interesting to use natural lime instead of cement,

lime mortars instead of cement mortars, as that facilitates the vapour transfer and the

absorption of a notable quantity of CO2 during carbonation processes over the entire

operational life of a building, which can be up to 62 % of the quantity emitted during the

process of burning, as opposed to cement or concrete with cement mortars, which absorb

less than 2 %.

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53

The use of natural alternative fuels (devalued or degraded wood), in the lime industry

implies a favourable energy evaluation of the various types of waste, causing a much lower

impact on the environment than in the cement industry.

This means that waste can be transformed into resources, helping to close the circle of

use/reuse/recycling/energy capitalisation of materials, a key concept for achieving a truly

industrial ecology.

Table 6.6- LCA results for wood products

Building product

Produs ptr. construcţii

Density

densitate

kg/m3

Thermal

conductivity

conductivitat

e termică

W/mK

Primary

energy

demand

cererea de

energie

primară

MJ–Eq/kg

Global

Warming

Potential

potențial de

încălzire

globală

kg CO2–Eq/kg

Water

demand

Cererea

de apă

l/kg

Sawn timber, softwood,

planed, kiln dried

Cherestea răşinoase,

uscată forţat

600 0.13 20.996 0.3 5.119

Sawn timber, softwood,

planed, air dried

Cherestea răşinoase,

geluita, uscata natural

600 0.13 18.395 0.267 4.192

Glued laminated

timber, indoor use

Lemn lamelat încleiat,

utilizare la interior

600 0.13 27.309 0.541 8.366

Particle board, indoor

use

Plăci aglomerate PAL

600 0.13 34.646 0.035 8.788

Oriented strand board

Plăci lamelare 600 0.13 36.333 0.62 24.761

In general, all building materials based on wood have a much smaller impact,

especially those products that do no necessitate a lot of industrial processing.

The primary energy demand, in all these products, is satisfied by biomass, which represents

cca 70-83 % of the total primary energy demand.

The balance in carbon dioxide emissions is almost neutral as a result of the low level

of industrial processing and it will be negative (it performs the net absorption of emissions),

if the product is recycled or reused to produce energy an the place of incineration at the end

of its life.

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54

Moreover, wood waste or vegetable waste with wood fibres such as straws, reed,

sunflower stalks, hemp, etc. have a very low negative impact, constituting thus depollution,

ecological factors, as opposed to synthetic products.

We must consider the fact that, over its entire life (without being incinerated at the

end of their operational life), each cubic metre of wood or natural vegetable material

absorbs CO2 and therefore combats pollution, while the same quantity of reinforced

concrete, steel or synthetic materials of types EPS, PUR, PVC etc., emit or cause the

emission of CO2, so they pollute the environment (tables 6.7 and 6.8).

Table 6.7

1 m3 of material

CO2 absorption-

kg/m3

CO2 emissions -

kg/m3

Wood 582 -

Steel - 12.087

Reinforced concrete - 458

Table 6.8.

Building product

Produs pentru

construcții

Density

densitate

kg/m3

Thermal

conductivity

conductivitate

termică

W/mK

Primary

energy

demand

cererea de

energie

primară

MJ–Eq/kg

Global

Warming

Potential

potențial de

încălzire

globală

kg CO2–Eq/kg

Water

demand

Cererea

de apă

l/kg

Reinforcing steel

Otel beton 7900 50 24.336 1.526 26.149

Aluminium

Aluminiu 2700 239 136.803 8.571 214.341

Polyvinylchloride

Policlorura de vinil

PVC

1400 0.17 73.207 4.267 511.999

Flat glass

Sticla plana 2500 0.95 15.511 1.136 16.537

Copper

Cupru 8920 380 35.586 1.999 77.794

A high number of materials used at present in buildings, such as steel, aluminium,

copper, PVC and glass imply significant impact loads on the environment, due to the high

energy consumption and raw matter.

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55

Moreover, these are products manufactured in completely globalised industries, which

multiplies the impact of transport from the factory to the beneficiaries.

Additionally, the associated significant print of water necessary in the various

production processes (for example, in the production stage of PVC).

6.3 Conclusions and recommendations

All the aspects treated in the chapters of this report concerning the life cycle

assessment of materials destined for the thermo-energetical streamlining of buildings,

identified as feasible to be produced locally in the two pilot areas, with natural ecological

natural raw matters available locally and thus taking advantage of the natural resource

waste from the local area, or by extension from any area of the country, with modest costs

and affordable to limited resource communities, lead to a number of conclusions

synthesised below, concerning local strategies of sustainable/eco-durable development as

well as the adequate national strategy.

1. In the logical order of present-day demands, from the superior level, to the local

level, it is absolutely necessary to harmonise the development strategies with the chain

of all the categories of present-day demands, namely: sustainable development demands

(eco-durable) – building-related demands – demands related to the protection of the

environment - demands concerning the protection of human health.

2. It is necessary to modify the present legal framework for buildings, in order to

promote the design of buildings with structures and elements from natural renewable

materials (such as wood, for example), which offers, in addition to the conventional

structures from reinforced concrete, obvious environmental advantages. Wooden

structures offer a better resistance against fires, clearly superior resistance to

earthquakes, the capacity to ensure the interior microclimate at the optimal parameters

imposed by the requirements of hygiene and health, possibilities to

renovate/reuse/recycle and take a final advantage of the material in its last life stage as a

fuel that generates energy.

3. In the present context of promoting sustainable development policies and strategies,

the tendency to invest large sums of money into capturing and isolating CO2 polluting

emissions in thermal electrical plants should be reconsidered and to take into account

the fact that the forest exploitation processes are durable and sustainable without a

time limit.

4. The same conclusion is evident for all vegetable materials known to result from

agricultural processes and used traditionally in Romanian construction across the ages

(straws, reed, hemp, wooden stalks, etc.).

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56

5. The annual regeneration capacity in Romania of some massive quantities of wooden

and vegetable materials from agricultural exploitation, as well as the production of

animal-origin products, unused efficiently for many years (sheep and goat wool), is

especially favourable for our country and all its regions, which benefit from a uniform

distribution of these resources, and that can become an important factor of modern

development under eco-sustainable conditions, based on inexpensive resources,

ecological and energy efficient.

Romania, with all its regions, is favoured from this point of view, but it is necessary to

adapt development and re-education policies for the human decision-making factor to

that which is valuable, healthy, durable and noble, meaning to that which nature has

been giving us all along, but which has been left aside due to the snobbery, upstartism,

and superficiality of our culture (including the technical aspect of it) as well as to the

corruption of the latest years, in favour of products of poor quality, polluting,

expensive, but well promoted and sold to meet economic interests that have drained the

resources of the Romanian people.

6. The use of structural wood in buildings, of wood waste and vegetable material as

raw matters for the thermal-energetical streamlining and of any form of natural

renewable material implies an anticipated capture of carbon dioxide emissions in

forests and vegetable cultures, as well as storing of CO2 emissions, for the entire

operational lifetime of a building (at least 50 years). Additionally, from a quantity point

of view, the depolluting volume is much greater in case the wood is reused at the end

of its life. This ensures that these buildings with wooden structures constitute real "CO2

repositories", which should be supported by all central and local administrations.

7. The association between these extraordinary material qualities of wood, wood

waste and vegetable derivatives with those of natural lime, slaked and hydrated is

almost a magnificent solution for rapidly achieving the objectives of eco-sustainable

development. Both types of materials are depolluting, inexpensive, and they perfectly

meet the requirements concerning economic efficiency, energy efficiency, hygiene,

health and environment, and they are available to communities locally or in

neighbouring areas.

8. From the point of view of the most appropriate techniques, the manufacturing

processes of MOPATEL® and ECOPIERRA

® composite materials with raw matter

such as natural slaked lime, wood waste, sheep wool, hemp, etc, implies very small

quantities of energy and therefore a highly reduced impact factor. Moreover, the

preparation of raw matter can be made with higher financial and energy efficiency by

means of natural drying processes. Thus, in the right climatic periods of the year

(during the summer and winter, when the humidity of exterior air is around 20…30 %),

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57

the drying of cut wood, of the wood or animal/vegetable waste, as well as the drying of

finished products after casting into moulds can be easily performed in covered but open

spaces, with adequate levels of natural ventilation and constitute a simple and

economic way of reducing over 10% of the CO2 emissions, as opposed to forced drying

in special chambers or tunnels. The mixing and casting processes have very low energy

intensity.

9. It is necessary to promote the use of the simplest and most appropriate techniques

available for innovating production installations, as well as the replacement of using

direct natural resources with the waste from these resources, generated in various

previous processes of production, with high added value. This implies the local reuse

and recycling, as well as the minimising of the transport load of raw matters and

finished products, the promotion of using primary and secondary resources, available

locally in built areas.

10. Other materials obtained industrially with wood waste agglomerated with synthetic

resins, although they have a much lower impact than synthetic insulation materials,

must be improved by replacing synthetic resins (obtained from urea – formaldehyde

and melamine - formaldehyde), with natural resins, having the same properties in the

finished product. Thus, depending on the quantity of resins used for each product, the

equivalent CO2 emissions and chemical compounds harmful to health and to the

environment can still be reduced. On average, this reduction is estimated at cca. 16 %

for stratified wood and 46 % for wood-fibre plates. Moreover, the obtaining of natural

resins is a traditional craft which has been entirely neglected in the past decades or,

more precisely, has been abusively and brutally overtaken by the production of

chemified materials. The use of new agglomeration techniques with natural resins for

wood products of various make-ups would create jobs and prosperity, especially in

rural areas.

11. The results of this report must be considered to be a first-stage evaluation of the

impact on the environment produced by the evaluated composite materials based on

lime, cement, wood waste, hemp, and sheep wool.

12. It is important to extend, complete and harmonise the existing LCA inventory

databases for building materials with the characteristics and particularities from the

productive domain of thermal-insulating ecological inexpensive building materials in

Romania, as they are certified and legally available for use. In order to facilitate this

task, public institutions must encourage material manufacturers to use the ecological

labels, defined in conformity with the ISO norms, verified as independent, which offer

standard information based on the LCA of the real impact of each product.

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58

This would stimulate competition between manufacturers of materials over releasing

several eco-efficient products on the market, which would be much more useful and

more appreciated by the building sector, contrary to other products without any

ecological marking.

All these could offer a wide range of buildings that would indeed have a reduced

impact on the environment, not only due to their low final energy consumption, but

also due to the reduced impact of the materials that they contain. In this sense, there

would be precise information concerning the impact of each product, which would

facilitate a correct evaluation of the impact of a new building from an LCA

perspective.

Without this information, this impact can be estimated only with approximation based

on the existing inventory, which is difficult to adapt to the reality and demands of a

certain geographical area.

13. At present, when demolishing buildings which have reached the end of their life, it

is very difficult to separate the various materials that can be taken to waste warehouses

or/and incinerators. That is why, in order to be able to recycle building materials, it is

necessary to promote a radical change in building design, in order to favour the

dismounting/separation of the building material at the end of their life.

Note:

This report used as reference bibliography the paper based on the results of the following projects :

- Project LoRe - LCA " Low Resource consumption buildings and constructions by use of LCA [51], co – funded by the European Commission’s Intelligent Energy for Europe Program, (7th framewotk programme - Contract FP7 - ENV -2007- 1-n ° 212531 ) and coordinated by SINTEF (NO), and

- Project „PSE Ciclope " – Quantitative analysis of the life cycle and of the environmental impact of buildings

concerning the demand for energy and the associated GHG emissions " [ 52 ], co –funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and by the European Fund for Regional Development (contract PSE -380000-2009-5) and coordinated by CIDEMCO ( ES ) and GIGA - ESCI ( ES ) .

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ridicata - Conf. Instalatii pentru constructii si economia de energie, pag. 15-22, 3-

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http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG7iCB_ltSRlAA9YhXNyoA/SIG=1bu9rjs0r/EXP=1381789441/**http%3a/72.30.186.176/search/srpcache%3fei=UTF-8%26p=LCA%2bBuildindgs%2band%2bEnvironmental%26xa=EbYka7UZOSI45nNNnXe9zQ--%252C1381846982%26fr=moz35%26u=http%3a/cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx%3fq=LCA%2bBuildindgs%2band%2bEnvironmental%26d=4617189805917982%26mkt=en-US%26setlang=en-US%26w=-j7RE4LR2Zozp6R7hEeuEBP7JhwlwC2h%26icp=1%26.intl=us%26sig=BukrJIJydjSQTYT3ONt5gQ--

http://www.green-technology.org/gcsummit/images/LEED&New_Certs.pdf

http://www.awc.org/pdf/GBFactSheets/life_cycle.pdf

http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab082942.pdf

http://www.reseauvco.ca/.../Workshops/Life_Cycle_Analysis_and

http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG7lK1_1tSYCkACDRXNyoA/SIG=1bu4fa4p3/EXP=1381789749/**http%3a/72.30.186.176/search/srpcache%3fei=UTF-8%26p=LCA%2bBuildindgs%2band%2bEnvironmental%26xa=406XWx5eMjonl7Bm8Hrd8A--%252C1381847041%26fr=moz35%26u=http%3a/cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx%3fq=LCA%2bBuildindgs%2band%2bEnvironmental%26d=4755075436121469%26mkt=en-US%26setlang=en-US%26w=aHNP-XEKbxFyW_2AdBlVh2M-XINWQ1ew%26icp=1%26.intl=us%26sig=510mGDE7svQdef9KJ6vaoA--

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http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95054-green-building-codes-and

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