Characterization of an alternative thermal insulation material using recycled expanded polystyrene

Abstract Thermal insulations help to reduce household energy demand and extend the periods of thermal comfort generated by heating and cooling systems. Conventional isolations may not be economically accessible to all social sectors, despite their benefits. This paper presents and evaluates an alternative low-cost insulating material and its variants, based on the mechanical reuse of expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste packaging, cementitious binder, plastic additives, and water. These materials show comparable performance to commercially available insulations (thermal conductivity range 0.0603–0.0706 W/m K) and provide an environmentally-safe and cost effective alternatives for house isolation for the low income population living in settlements worldwide.