Foamed Drywall Waste Panels (FDWP): A fire-protective insulation technology

­Unmet Need: Environmentally friendly fire-protective insulation material

Flammable plastic foam insulation (aka Styrofoam) has been under scrutiny in recent building fires. Noncombustible alternatives are costly & produced with carbon-emitting fuels. Concurrently, there is pressure to end landfilling of gypsum drywall waste from building construction & demolition since drywall waste decays and emits hydrogen sulfide gas, impacting quality of life & health.

The Technology: Conversion of Gypsum waste into foamed insulation material    

The proposed invention is a highly air-entrained insulation material utilizing novel composite mixtures containing gypsum drywall waste. Composite mixtures from this WSU invention are formed into air-entrained insulation blocks, sheets, panels or other materials. Air entrainment is accomplished through incorporation of pre-made foams or by incorporating various admixtures with the composite mixtures resulting in foam formation on hydration of the mixture.

Applications:

• Weatherization of buildings and making them fire-resistant.
• Retrofitting material to be applied to buildings.

Advantages:

• Cost-effective solution replacing flammable plastic foam leveraging inherent fire-protective properties of gypsum.
• FDWP provides superior insulation performance as compared to current Drywall product applications.
• FDWP exhibits superior fire resistance, improved thermal conductivity and lowered density.

Intellectual Property:

A US patent application has been filed.