Environmental Product Declaration: Xella Baustoffe GMBH
Environmental Product Declaration: Xella Baustoffe GMBH
www.ibu-epd.com / https://epd-online.com
    Issue date                                                              The owner of the declaration shall be liable for the
    09/11/2017                                                              underlying information and evidence; the IBU shall not
                                                                            be liable with respect to manufacturer information, life
    Valid to                                                                cycle assessment data and evidences.
    08/11/2022
                                                                            Verification
                                                                                The CEN Norm /EN 15804/ serves as the core PCR
                                                                                    Independent verification of the declaration
                                                                                            according to /ISO 14025/
    Prof. Dr.-Ing. Horst J. Bossenmayer                                                    internally         x externally
    (President of Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V.)
2. Product
2.1     Product description / Product definition                          Equilibrium moisture content at 23
                                                                                                                         <4        M-%
The products under review are unreinforced                                °C, 80%
components of various formats made of Autoclaved                          Shrinkage acc. to /DIN EN 680/                < 0,2      mm/m
Aerated Concrete (AAC). AAC is classified as a                            Thermal conductivity acc. to /DIN
porous, steam-cured lightweight concrete.                                                                             0.07 - 0.18 W/(mK)
                                                                          12664/
Directive (EU) No. 305/2011 /CPR/ applies for placing                     Water vapour diffusion resistance
the product on the market in the EU/EFTA (with the                                                                       5/10       -
                                                                          factor acc. to /DIN 4108-4/
exception of Switzerland). The product requires a                         Sound insulation acc. to /DIN EN            R'w,R=28*l
Declaration of Performance taking consideration of the                                                                             [dB]
                                                                          ISO 717-1/ für m' ≤ 250 [kg/m²]             og(m')-18
/EN 771-4:2015-11/ and CE marking. Use is governed                        Sound insulation acc. to /DIN EN            R'w,R=28*l
by the respective national regulations.                                                                                            [dB]
                                                                          ISO 717-1/ für m' > 250 [kg/m²]             og(m')-20
2.2    Application
Unreinforced components for masonry, monolithic,
supporting and non-supporting walls. Direct contact                       2.4    Delivery status
with water is avoided for technical structural reasons.                   Components in accordance with /DIN 20000-404/ and
                                                                          /DIN 4166/.
2.3    Technical Data
The product’s performance values correspond with the                      2.5     Base materials / Ancillary materials
Declaration of Performance in terms of its essential
properties in accordance with /EN 771-4:2015-11/.                         Sand                     50 – 70% by mass
Technical construction data                                               Cement                   15 – 30% by mass
Name                                                  Value        Unit   Unhydrated lime           10 – 20% by mass
Gross density                                       250 - 800     kg/m3   Anhydrite/Gypsum         2 – 5% by mass
Compressive strength                                  1.6 - 10    N/mm2   Aluminium                 0.05 – 0.1% by mass
Tensile strength                                     0.24 - 1.2   N/mm2   Mould oil                 ancillary material
Bending tensile strength                             0,44 - 2,2   N/mm²   50–75% water by mass (with reference to the solid
Modulus of elasticity                               750 - 3250    N/mm2   materials) is also used.
2                                      Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
                                                            2.8     Product processing/Installation
Sand: The sand used is a natural raw material which         AAC blocks are processed by hand; lifting equipment
contains quartz (SiO2) as a primary mineral as well as      is required for components whose mass exceeds 25
natural minor and trace minerals. It is an essential        kg. Components are cut using band saws or by hand-
base material for the hydrothermal reaction during          held carbide saws as they only generate coarse dust
steam curing.                                               and no fine dust. High-speed tools such as angle
Cement: In accordance with /DIN EN 197-1/, cement           grinders are not suitable for processing AAC as they
serves as a binding agent and is largely manufactured       release fine dust.
from lime marl or a mixture of lime and clay. The           The AAC components are connected with each other
natural raw materials are burned before being ground.       and with other standardised construction materials in
Unhydrated lime: In accordance with /DIN EN 459-1/,         thin-bed mortar according to /DIN EN 1996-1-1/ in
unhydrated lime serves as a binding agent and is            combination with /DIN EN 1996-1-1/NA/A2/ and /DIN
manufactured by burning natural lime.                       EN 1996-2/ in combination with /DIN EN 1996-2/NA/
Anhydrite / Gypsum: In accordance with /DIN EN              with or without mortared butt joints. In special cases,
13279-1/; the sulphate agent used serves towards            using normal or lightweight mortar (11 kg mortar / m³).
influencing the curing time for the AAC and originates      The AAC components can be plastered, coated or
from natural reserves or is produced technically.           painted. Panelling with small-format parts or fair-face
Aluminium: Aluminium powder or paste serves as a            cavity brickwork is also possible.
pore-forming agent. Metallic aluminium reacts in the        The professional liability associations' rules apply. No
alkaline environment when hydrogen gas is added             special environmental protection measures need to be
which forms the pores and then evaporates after the         taken while processing the building product.
fermenting process.
Water: The availability of water is a fundamental basis     2.9      Packaging
for the hydraulic reaction undergone by the binding         Packaging and pallets incurred on the building site
agents. Water is also required for manufacturing a          must be collected separately. Polyethylene shrink wrap
homogeneous suspension.                                     foil is recyclable. Clean PE foil and reusable wooden
Mould oil: Mould oil is used as a release agent             pallets are taken back by the building trade (reusable
between the mould and the raw AAC mixture. PAC              pallets remunerated in the German deposit system)
(polycyclic aromatic carbons) are used - free mineral       which returns them to the AAC plants which then
oils plus long-chain additives for increasing viscosity.    redirect foils to the foil manufacturers for recycling.
This prevents it from running out of the mould and
permits economical application.                             2.10 Condition of use
                                                            As outlined under 2.6 "Manufacturing", AAC primarily
2.6     Manufacture                                         comprises tobermorit, a natural mineral. It also
The ground quartz sand is mixed with lime, cement           contains non-reacting starting components, primarily
and crushed recycled AAC material, adding water and         rough quartz and possibly carbonates. The pores are
aluminium powder or paste, in a mixer to form an            full of air.
aqueous suspension and cast in moulds. The water
quenches the lime under heat generation. The                2.11 Environment and health during use
aluminium reacts in an alkaline environment, whereby        In accordance with the current state of knowledge,
gaseous hydrogen is formed which generates the              AAC does not emit any harmful substances such as
pores in the raw mixture and evaporates without             VOC, for example.
residue. The pores usually have a diameter of 0.5 –         The naturally ionising radiation of AAC products is
1.5 mm and are exclusively filled with air. The initial     extremely low permitting unlimited use of this material
binding process results in semi-solid ingots from which     from a radiological perspective (see 7.1 Radioactivity)
the AAC components are automatically cut at high
speed.                                                      2.12 Reference service life
The final AAC characteristics are formed during the         AAC does not alter its appearance after leaving the
subsequent steam curing process over 5 to 12 hours at       autoclave. It displays unlimited resistance properties
approx. 190 °C and pressure of approx. 12 bar in            when used as designated.
steam pressure chambers, so-called autoclaves,
where the substances used form calcium silicate
hydrates which correspond to the tobermorit mineral
prevailing in nature. The material reaction is concluded    2.13    Extraordinary effects
on removal from the autoclave. The steam is used for
other autoclave cycles once the curing process is           Fire
finished. The condensate incurred is used as process        In the event of a fire, no toxic gases and vapours can
water. This saves energy and avoids pollution by hot        arise
steam and waste water.                                      Fire safety acc. to /EN 13501-1/
AAC components are then stacked on wooden pallets           Name                                        Value
and shrink-wrapped in recyclable polyethylene (PE)          Building material class                      A1
foil.                                                       Smoke gas development                        s1
                                                            Burning droplets                             d0
2.7    Environment and health during
       manufacturing
The applicable regulations of the professional liability    Water
associations apply; no special measures need to be          When exposed to water (e.g. flooding), AAC reacts
taken to protect employee health.                           slightly alkaline. No substances are washed out which
                                                            could be hazardous to water.
3                           Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
Mechanical destruction
No details.                                                  2.15 Disposal
                                                             In accordance with the German Landfill Ordinance of
2.14 Re-use phase                                            27.04.2009 /DepV/, AAC must be disposed of on Class
Sorted residual AAC can be taken back by the AAC             I landfills (see 7.2 Leaching).
manufacturers and re-used or recycled. This practice         Waste key as per /AVV/: 17 01 01.
has been applied with broken product for decades.
This material is either processed as granulate products      2.16 Further information
or added to the AAC mixture as a substitute for sand.        More information is available at www.ytong-silka.de
4                            Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
4. LCA: Scenarios and additional technical information
Modules A4-D are not taken into consideration in this
LCA.
5                         Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
5. LCA: Results
The environmental impacts of 1 m³ Ytong® unreinforced AAC with an average gross density of 438 kg/m³,
manufactured by Xella in Germany, are outlined below.
Modules marked "x" in the following overview as per /DIN EN 15804/ are not addressed here.
The following tables depict the results of the indicators of the estimated impact, use of resources, waste and other
output flows in relation to 1 m³ Ytong® AAC.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM BOUNDARY (X = INCLUDED IN LCA; MND = MODULE NOT DECLARED)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 BENEFITS AND
                                           CONSTRUCTI                                                                                                                                                                                                LOADS
    PRODUCT STAGE                          ON PROCESS                                                   USE STAGE                                                                            END OF LIFE STAGE                                    BEYOND THE
                                              STAGE                                                                                                                                                                                                 SYSTEM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  BOUNDARIES
                                                                                                                                          Operational energy
                                           Transport from the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Waste processing
                                                                                                                                                               Operational water
                                                                                                                                                                                   De-construction
                                             gate to the site
                                                                                                                          Refurbishment
                           Manufacturing
                                                                                                            Replacement
Raw material
Maintenance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Recycling-
                                                                                                                                                                                     demolition
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Recovery-
                                                                Assembly
               Transport
Transport
Disposal
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   potential
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Reuse-
                                                                                               Repair
  supply
Use
use
                                                                                                                                                                     use
    A1         A2          A3                  A4               A5         B1    B2            B3           B4            B5                  B6                   B7                 C1               C2          C3                 C4              D
    X            X            X             MND MND MND MND MNR MNR MNR MND MND MND MND MND MND                                                                                                                                                     MND
RESULTS OF THE LCA - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: 1 m³ Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
                                              Parameter                                                    Unit                                                                                         A1-A3
6. LCA: Interpretation
Within the framework of a dominance analysis, it is                                                                            elements) impact category. The binding agents have a
apparent that the environmental impacts of AAC                                                                                 relevant influence here.
manufacturing are dominated by the preliminary                                                                                 Both the binding agents and aluminium have a relevant
products in most impact categories. Energy                                                                                     influence on the ozone depletion potential (ODP). All
requirements only have a significant influence during                                                                          other categories are dominated by the binding agents
manufacturing in the fossil abiotic depletion of
resources (ADP fossil) impact category.
The anhydrite has a significant impact in the
elementary abiotic depletion of resources (ADP
6                                                                  Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
7. Requisite evidence
A manufacturer's declaration is available according to      dispenses with a requirement for any additional
which the composition of base materials, the                controls. From a radiological perspective, the natural
manufacturing process and product features of the           radioactivity of the building material permits unlimited
Xella® products under review have remained                  use thereof.
unchanged since the evidence outlined below was
issued. Accordingly, the evidence applies in full.
                                                            7.2 Leaching
7.1 Radioactivity                                           Leaching by landfilled AAC is of significance for
Method: Measurements of the nuclide content in              assessing its environmental impact after use. /LGA
Bq/kg, determining the Activity Index I                     2007/, /LGA 2011/
Summarising report: /BfS-SW-14-/12/, Salzgitter,            Measuring agency: LGA Institut für Umweltgeologie
November 2012                                               und Altlasten GmbH, Nuremberg
Result: The samples were evaluated in accordance            Result: All criteria for landfilling in class I landfills are
with the /European Commission Guideline "Radiation          complied with in accordance with the Landfill
Protection 112"/ (Radiological Protection Principles        Ordinance /DepV/ dated 27.04.2009 applicable in
concerning the Natural Radioactivity of Building            Germany. In accordance with the Council Decision
Materials, 1999). The Index values I established are in     (2003/33/EC) dated 19 December 2002, AAC is to be
all cases lower than the exclusion level which              allocated to the “Non-hazardous waste” landfill class.
8. References
                                                            und Konstruktion von Mauerwerksbauten - Teil 1-1:
Institut Bauen und Umwelt                                   Allgemeine Regeln für bewehrtes und unbewehrtes
Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V., Berlin (pub.):              Mauerwerk; Deutsche Fassung
Generation of Environmental Product Declarations
(EPDs);                                                     DIN EN 1996-1-1/NA/A2: 2015-01; Nationaler Anhang
General Principles                                          - National festgelegte Parameter - Eurocode 6:
for the EPD range of Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V.         Bemessung und Konstruktion von Mauerwerksbauten -
(IBU), 2015/10                                              Teil 1-1: Allgemeine Regeln für bewehrtes und
www.ibu-epd.de                                              unbewehrtes Mauerwerk; Änderung A2
7                          Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
Konformitätskriterien von Normalzement                    (BGBI I S. 900); zuletzt geändert durch Art. 7 V vom
                                                          26.11.2010
DIN EN 680: 2005-12; Bestimmung des Schwindens
von dampfgehärtetem Porenbeton                            BfS-SW-14-/12: Gehrke, K. Hoffmann, B., Schkade,
                                                          U., Schmidt, V., Wichterey, K.: Natürliche
EN 771-4: 2015-11; Festlegungen für Mauersteine -         Radioaktivität in Baumaterialien und die daraus
Teil 4: Porenbetonsteine; Deutsche Fassung EN 771-        resultierende Strahlenexposition - BfS-SW-14-/12,
4:2011+A1:2015                                            urn:nbn:de:0221-201210099810, Salzgitter, 2012
8                         Environmental Product Declaration Xella Baustoffe GmbH – Ytong® Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
Publisher
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Panoramastr. 1                   Fax    +49 (0)30 3087748- 29
10178 Berlin                     Mail   info@ibu-epd.com
Germany                          Web    www.ibu-epd.com
Programme holder
Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V.   Tel    +49 (0)30 - 3087748- 0
Panoramastr 1                    Fax    +49 (0)30 – 3087748 - 29
10178 Berlin                     Mail   info@ibu-epd.com
Germany                          Web    www.ibu-epd.com