Assessing the Compliance of Extrusion Foamed Polystyrene Production with the Environmental Standards Requirements

The development of modern construction requires the use of environmentally friendly building materials, including insulating materials, to ensure the energy efficiency of buildings and structures. The purpose of the work is relevant and was to develop a methodology for assessing the compliance of extruded polystyrene foam with environmental requirements. The problem is that the certification of such materials includes an examination of their physical and mechanical properties and does not allow assessment of materials’ environmental aspects. A comprehensive approach to assessing the quality of extruded polystyrene foam is proposed, which ensures not only the technical level of material quality, but also compliance with environmental requirements. The research methodology is based on the environmental risks’ identification at all stages of production and the determination of products environmental safety criteria. Each criterion is characterized by a set of indicators, among which a representative indicator is determined. A complex indicator is proposed for assessing the environmental safety of the production of extruded foamed polystyrene. The novelty of the work lies in the algorithm for calculating the material environmental friendliness complex criterion. The process model of the extruded polystyrene foam production analyses made it possible to establish representative indicators according to the products’ environmental safety criteria. As a result of the analysis, critical operations were identified where environmental risks are likely, and representative indicators’ limit values were set in accordance with regulatory documentation. Measures have been developed to minimize the release of harmful substances during each critical operation. To improve environmental management, the system for monitoring and assessing risks in the production of extruded foamed polystyrene has been optimized. As a result, a methodology has been developed for assessing the compliance of the production of extruded polystyrene foam with environmental requirements, which is necessary for product quality certification. 

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