The ecological transition is a process the building industry is bound to undertake. This study aimed to develop new bio-based building partition typologies and to determine if they are suitable ecological alternatives to the conventional non-renewable ones used today. This work started with the development of a bio-based epoxy composite board and a waste-based sheep wool acoustic absorbent. Six different partition typologies combining conventional and bio-based materials were analyzed. A drywall partition composed of gypsum plasterboard and mineral wool was used as the baseline. First, a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment was performed to compare their environmental impacts. Secondly, a mathematical simulation was performed to evaluate their airborne acoustic insulation. The LCA results show a 50% decrease in the amount of CO₂ equivalent emitted when replacing plasterboard with bio-composite boards. The bio-composites lower the overall environmental impact by 40%. In the case of the acoustic absorbents, replacing the mineral wool with cellulose or sheep wool decreases the carbon emissions and the overall environmental impact of the partition from 4% and 6%, respectively. However, while the bio-based acoustic absorbents used offer good acoustic results, the bio-composites have a lower airborne acoustic insulation than conventional gypsum plasterboard.

The first 3D-printed building in Spain is the object of this study, and it is presented and physically described herein from different points of view. This study combines on-site measurements, simulations, and a life cycle assessment to assess some relevant parameters concerning the acoustic, thermal and environmental performance of the 3D-printed house. The main objectives are to analyze whether the house complies with the acoustic and thermal regulations and to assess whether it can act as a sustainable alternative to conventional masonry construction, especially when time plays an important role. The build surface (3D prototype) of the house is approximately 23 m². The internal space includes a living room (12.35 m²), a bedroom (7.36 m²) and a bathroom (3.16 m²). The total surface of the house is 22.87 m² and it has a volume of 64.03 m³. The acoustic insulation was measured according to the ISO 9869-1:2014 standard. In terms of the acoustic insulation, the sound reduction index was tested following the guidelines of the ISO 140-5:1999 standard. Additionally, the study includes a comparative life cycle assessment comparing the 3D-printed façade with two conventional wall typologies. The 3D-printed house displays an excellent thermal performance, with a measured thermal transmittance of 0.24 Wm⁻²K⁻¹, suitable for all Spanish climate zones. Regarding the acoustic insulation, the measured global sound reduction indexes of the façades range from 36 to 45 dB, which is adequate for areas with noise levels of up to 75 dB. The environmental results indicate that 3D-printed façade manufacturing emits 30% more CO₂e than a façade constructed using concrete blocks and 2% less than a masonry block wall. Overall, this study shows that, in addition to its multiple advantages in terms of the construction time, the studied 3D-printed house has similar acoustic, thermal and environmental traits to the most common construction typologies. However, it cannot be considered a sustainable construction method due to its high amount of cement.

Hospitals generate huge amounts of nonwoven residues daily. This paper focused on studying the evolution of nonwoven waste generated in the Francesc de Borja Hospital, Spain, over the last few years and its relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective was to identify the most impacting pieces of nonwoven equipment in the hospital and to analyze possible solutions. The carbon footprint of the nonwoven equipment was studied through a life-cycle assessment. The results showed an apparent increase in the carbon footprint in the hospital from 2020. Additionally, due to the higher annual volume, the simple nonwoven gown used primarily for patients had a higher carbon footprint over a year than the more sophisticated surgical gowns. It can be concluded that developing a local circular economy strategy for medical equipment could be the solution to avoid the enormous waste generation and the carbon footprint of nonwoven production.