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PROJECTS

NewAppBurel

Sustainable and design Burel products for new indoor applications with enhanced acoustic performance

  • Project code
    POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033548
  • Approval date
    30/08/2018
  • Start date
    01/11/2018
  • Conclusion date
    28/02/2022
  • Promotor
    Trendburel
  • Copromotors
    Itecons Universidade de Coimbra
  • Intervention region
    Região Centro
  • Total eligible amount
    838.001,80 €
  • Financial support from the European Union
    FEDER - 567.240,78 €
  • Funding

This application presents a project to design, develop, characterise and validate innovative building and/or decorative solutions, integrating the use of Burel, as well as Burel wastes embodied in composite materials which require high acoustic and thermal performance. The proposed solutions favour the use of sustainable components and technologies, using natural indigenous materials and traditional, but specialised, manual labour, set itself apart from most current market solutions. Equally underlined in the project are concepts such as innovation, increase in value,customisation, differentiation, distinction, design, art, tradition, handcraft, natural and national.

The project wants to contribute for the promotion of social inclusion, valuing a unique raw material, the wool from sheep bred in Serra da Estrela, associated to a regional weaving industry with specialized know-how from generations of workers. The project intends to boost up new applications for Burel and promote the development of a low populated interior region area, where this weaving industry has been declining.

This project has two main approaches:

a) it aims to develop prefabricated and customizable modular systems, applied to technical structures in wood, covered with Burel. These solutions are designed for the use in false ceilings, wall coatings, separation between spaces or as individual elements (totems). Other uses of Burel shall be developed, such as resilient blankets for floating floors and blankets for use in air cavities, using the Burel wastes.

The development and optimisation of all solutions is mainly directed to improve the acoustic and thermal performance of the projected systems, based on laboratory characterisation, numerical modelling and the validation of prototypes on real and experimental facilities.

b) it aims to value up the wastes from the Burel weaving through its embodiement into composite materials of thermoplastic matrices, with appropriate compositions for different applications. The processing of the diverse composites will be directed to obtain tough structural pieces (profiles and boards) or coating materials (flexible membranes) to apply in the construction of the previously mentioned modular systems. This will enable the test of the new materials with the same methods and comparison of the same properties.

The development of these new composites will involve the selection of raw materials adequate for each application, namely Burel wastes and thermoplastic polymers (of natural and synthetic origin), and additives as compatibilizers between polymers and wool fibres, processing agents, fire retardants and glass fibres. It will also involve the detailed characterization of the Burel wastes, finding methods to homogeneize the fibres and selecting the most appropriate properties. The optimization of the composites will start from the preparation of blends and from the chemical, physical and mechanical characterization of the new materials. Additionally, it will involve determining the processing conditions for the sysnthesis of the composites, as well as for their conversion into final products (profiles, boards and flexible membranes).

The project will be run in partnership with Trendburel, distinguished company in the production of unique, differentiated and high quality fabrics, with ITeCons, a NE entity of the SI&I dedicated to the design, development and validation of new products and construction solutions and with the University of Coimbra, with skills in the development and characterization of new materials.