A team of engineers at RMIT University in Melbourne has developed new fire-safe building cladding using 83 percent recycled glass. They say it’s a cheap, structurally robust and fire-resistant solution to a major waste stream.
According to the engineers, around 130 million tonnes of glass are produced globally each year, but only 21 percent of that is recycled glass. Their new cladding material uses not only recycled glass, but also relatively low levels of plastic binders and fire-retardant additives.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Dilan Robert says using their special blend of materials allowed them to overcome the usual challenges of glass cladding – which are brittle and prone to fracture – with the plastic binders providing “improved toughness”.
“Experiments have proven that our claddings are fire-safe, water-resistant and cheap, and meet structural and environmentally sustainable requirements,” says Robert.
Panels using the team’s technology have been installed at RMIT’s Bundoora campus to demonstrate the technology’s feasibility as building claddings, as well as trialled for large-scale manufacturing capability. It is now being patented by materials technology company Livefield.
“Livefield is keen to upscale the manufacturing process of the recycled class composite cladding, with further research support from RMIT,” Robert says.
A circular economy and fire-safe approach
Robert says more glass could be recycled into products in the construction industry.
“Glass is one of the most recyclable materials in the world as it doesn’t lose its quality or purity, and it can be recycled for multiple uses across a wide range of industries,” he says.
“By using high amounts of recycled glass in building claddings, while ensuring they meet fire safety and other standards, we are helping to find a solution to the very real waste challenge.”
Alongside the sustainability of the material, flammability continues to be a major concern when it comes to cladding on residential apartment buildings and publicly owned buildings. As of July 2022, Cladding Safety Victoria was at the halfway mark in its five-year cladding rectification program.
Robert says testing the new cladding materials for fire safety was an important focus of the research.
“Some of the most catastrophic building fires, like the 2017 Grenfell tower fire in London that led to many deaths and injuries, have been attributed to the poor fire-prevention performance of cladding materials,” Robert says.
“Building fires can happen anywhere at any time and cannot be predicted. Therefore, fire safety requirements should be embedded in the design of buildings.
Image: RMIT University
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