Example housing dissertation topic 3:

Flammability of textile waste when used as insulation in residential properties

Approximately two million tons of textile waste is produced in the UK each year (Defra, 2010), and more than half of that amount is sent to landfill. Proposals have been to utilise this waste in a number of ways, including as thermal building insulation (Briga-Sa et al., 2013), and acoustic insulation. However, insufficient research has been done to determine the flammability of such insulation products, and the effects of combustion on domestic installations. This thesis undertakes testing of a variety of textile wastes, both independently and in conjunction with common building materials, to determine both the flammability and the possibility of toxic by-products.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Briga-Sa, A., Nascimento, D., Texeira, N., Pinto, J., Caldeira, F., Varum, H. and Paiva, A. (2013). ‘Textile waste as an alternative thermal insulation building material solution’, Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 38, pp. 155-160.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (2010). Sustainable clothing action plan. London: HMSO.
• Lou, C.W., Lin, J.H. and Su, K.H. (2005). ‘Recycling polyester and polypropylene nonwoven selvages to produce functional sound absorption composites’, Textile Research Journal, Vol. 75(5), pp. 390-394.