Isolamento térmico sustentável: potencial dos materiais renováveis na construção civil

Abstract

The civil construction sector plays a central role in urban development, but it is also notable for its high consumption of natural resources and its significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings. These emissions are associated with both operational carbon, related to energy consumption during use, and embodied carbon, resulting from raw material extraction, material production, transport, construction, and demolition. In this scenario, thermal insulation materials are fundamental to reducing the energy consumption of buildings, as they minimize heat transfer between indoor and outdoor environments, thereby decreasing the demand for artificial HVAC systems. Their performance is directly related to the presence of porous structures capable of trapping air and limiting heat transfer mechanisms, which are influenced by parameters such as porosity, density, and pore connectivity. Conventional insulating materials exhibit low thermal conductivity due to the controlled formation of these structures through industrial processes that are often energy-intensive and associated with the use of fossil or mineral raw materials. In contrast, bio-based materials utilize plant fibers and agro-industrial residues that already possess naturally favorable characteristics for trapping air, allowing porous structures to be obtained through reorganization and consolidation with lower processing demands. In addition to their potential for biodegradability, these materials feature adjustable density depending on the structural architecture, and can achieve low values comparable to those of conventional insulators. Thus, bio-based materials constitute technically promising alternatives for thermal insulation, as they combine functional performance with greater resource efficiency throughout their life cycle.