MilaFoam®
INNOVATE UK have invested in Material Research to develop a fireproof alternative to Polyisocyanurate Foam Insulation (PIR).
The grant will accelerate research into MilaFoam® which, once fully realised, could be used to safely insulate the homes of millions of people across the UK and prevent a repeat of the tragedy seen at Grenfell Tower in 2017, which saw 72 people lose their lives.
Government regulations now ban the use of combustible materials in buildings above 11m and the government has created a £5.1bn Building Safety Fund to rectify buildings above 18m with cladding defects. Thousands of leaseholders, landlords and property developers are being forced to replace PIR thermoset plastic foam that has been typically used as a convenient and energy efficient way to insulate buildings, particularly high-rise dwellings.
Milafoam® is a mineral-based material that has been shown in the laboratory to have the same physical characteristics as PIR insulation, meaning it will be lightweight, robust, rigid and highly thermally efficient, while crucially being non-combustible.
“MilaFoam® would allow thousands of people to fall asleep at night safe in the knowledge that their insulation is not only keeping their home warm, but is also totally fireproof,”
“I’m really excited at the massive impact this could have on the construction industry at a global level. We’re already seeing enormous interest in its potential to provide cheap, effective and environmentally-friendly insulation.”
Dr. Mike Lawrence, Director of Research at Material Research Limited and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bath.
When exposed to high temperatures, prototype versions of Milafoam do not combust or deform, indicating it would be classified in the top-tier Euroclass A category for fire resistance, while also not emitting any gases, negating the possibility of any dangers due to smoke inhalation. It has the potential to be fabricated as an ultra-low density rigid foam panel with a extremely low thermal conductivity of just 0.022 W/mK (watts per metre thickness).
In addition, the constituent ingredients and the manufacturing process are intrinsically low energy, meaning that MilaFoam® saves energy and has far lower embodied carbon than petrochemical-derived alternatives. It uses low environmental impact materials that are readily available in contrast to PIR, whose ultimate precursor is Benzene (a carcinogenic extraction from crude oil). This means MilaFoam® is not only cheaper to produce but is also far better for human health and the environment.
Builders familiar with PIR insulation will be able to immediately install MilaFoam® as it uses the same fixing methods, meaning it could be provide a highly cost-effective solution for the rapid replacement of existing flammable insulation. Added benefits are that MilaFoam® will be able to be used as a non-combustible insulating core in composite sandwich panels as well as, for example, for fire-proof insulated steel profile cladding and roofing panels.
Development of MilaFoam® is planned to conclude in July 2023 with the vision of producing a product capable of high-volume manufacture using very similar plant to that currently used to manufacture PIR insulation.