CIRCular bio-based products for the BUILT environment

The building and construction sector accounts for 37% of global emissions (2023). To mitigate the environmental impact of this sector, bio-based products are a promising solution especially when they are sourced from secondary bio-based materials. The CIRCBUILT project will gather 7 academic partners and 5 industries (SMEs mainly) for 36 months to propose a novel high value-added pathway for bio-based waste/residue sources of lignocellulose from the agricultural, agrofood and forestry industries, while being aligned with the cascading principles. Three novel intermediate components will act as main building blocks: foam-formed materials manufactured using two novel resource-efficient processes; first-of-a-kind thermochromic nanocellulose-based films and coatings; isocyanate- and formaldehyde-free bio-based binders as unique selling point on the adhesive market. This will serve as basis to the development and validation at TRL5 of four different types of products 100% made from secondary bio-based materials for the construction sector: 1) thermal insulation panels, 2) construction panels, 3) adapting cooling windows, and 4) indoor acoustic panels. Their technical performances will be comparable to their respective fossil-based benchmark, while unlocking the potential of circular value chains. A mock-up integrating the four products will be created for dissemination purposes, even to young generations of end-users. CIRCBUILT will engage with key stakeholders from the construction sector, as well as the broader cultural and artistic sector for going way beyond alignment with stakeholders’ requirements and NEB values; key stakeholders will be gathered in a Stakeholder Forum from the project’s beginning and actively participate in the products’ development and design creative processes. Novel circular business models will serve as basis to the overall project’s exploitation, preparing the industrialisation and commercialisation of the CIRCBUILT products.