Fossil-based insulation materials (Polystyrol, Polyurethan, Polyester, Phenolharz)

Insulation materials based on petroleum are produced in large quantities. They are mainly available in the form of EPS (expanded polystyrene), XPS (extruded polystyrene), and PUR (polyurethane foam) panels. PUR is also used in situ to fill cavities. Polyester is available in the form of mats or panels. Phenolic resin foam, which is available in panel form, has very favourable lambda values.

The foamed organic insulation materials have the advantage of being easy to process. Polystyrene, in particular, is relatively cheap to process. The disadvantages of these materials are tied up with their fossil origin. They are made from petroleum, a finite resource, in a series of chemical processing steps (some of them very complex), and involve very high primary energy consumption, i.e. production, transport and processing need a great deal of energy. When choosing an insulation material, one should make sure that it is free of CFC and HCFC.

Polystyrol (source: GrAT)

A video on producing XPS insulation materials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DRGHIFuJZA