Natural Fibre Insulation

fibre-mat-thumbTTS’ natural fibre insulation (NFI) is a sustainable green building insulation product that is composed of renewable natural fibre and bio-based resin.

 

NFI creates healthy indoor air quality, has exceptional thermal and acoustic properties, and is designed for use in walls, floors and roofs. TTS’ unique knowledge of natural fibre properties and their effect on final product characteristics allow us to blend natural fibre inputs to customize insulation for a wide range of different applications.

TTS’ NFI will be produced at a unique nonwoven engineered fibre mat plant in Drayton Valley, Alberta. Natural fibre inputs will include aspen and SPF (spruce, pine and fir) wood residue, hemp and flax fibre, and potentially fibre from cereal straws and municipal fibre waste destined for landfills. Thermal bonding technology using bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) will be used in TTS’ natural fibre insulation.

All of TTS’ insulation products are produced in accordance with rigorous quality control standards. Their suitability for market will be ensured through the use of an independent third party certification scheme such as the ICC evaluation service (link to http://www.icc-es.org).

Advantages of TTS’ Natural Fibre Insulation Products

TTS’ natural fibre insulation has a variety of advantages over conventional fibreglass insulation:

Performance Characteristics

  • The thermal performance characteristics of TTS’ natural fibre insulation are equal to or better than fibreglass insulation, and it also reduces temperature fluctuations.
  • The high density of TTS’ natural fibre insulation results in exceptional acoustic performance, reducing the transmission of unwanted noise.
  • TTS’ NFI has excellent fire retardant properties, as it is treated with a fire retardant In addition, because natural fibres resist shrinkage under high temperatures and exhibit a higher resistance to radiant heat flow compared to fibreglass, NFI has been shown to have better fire resistance than conventional fibreglass insulation.
  • Our natural fibre insulation is lighter than fibreglass, placing significantly less tension and stress on internal ceiling structures.
  • TTS’ insulation is naturally resistant to bacteria, mould and mildew.

Environmental Benefits

  • TTS’ natural fibre insulation is composed entirely of sustainable natural fibre sourced from agricultural and wood residues that would otherwise be burned or consigned to landfills, and is bonded with polylactic acid (PLA) resin, which is also derived from renewable resources. These features significantly reduce GHG emissions compared to fibreglass insulation.
  • Our natural fibre insulation also has excellent end-of-life characteristics, as it is completely biodegradable, and can be composted, incinerated for combined heat and power generation, or recycled into new products by TTS.
  • A recent Life Cycle Analysis of a similar natural fibre insulation product in Europe found it to be better than carbon neutral, reducing more CO2 from the atmosphere than is used throughout the production process. This compares extremely favourably with the highly energy intensive production of fibreglass products.
  • Because of its CO2 profile and end-of-life characteristics, TTS’ NFI can contribute substantially to LEED points.

Health Benefits

  • TTS’ NFI helps to create a healthy internal building environment by actively assisting in the control of moisture in buildings, which promotes mould and dust mites and has been directly linked to allergic reactions and other autoimmune diseases.
  • TTS’ natural fibre insulation is extremely safe and non-toxic, and because it will not irritate the skin, eyes or respiratory tract like fibreglass, protective clothing does not need to be worn during installation.

To view the technical specifications of TTS’ natural fibre insulation, please click here.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 July 2009 18:41

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