DEFINITION OF TERMS

Thermal insulation

is the reduction of heat transfer (i.e., the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature)
between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Thermal insulation can be achieved with
specially engineered methods or processes, as well as with suitable object shapes and materials.

Building envelopes

he building envelope (or the more modern term, building enclosure) is all of the elements of the outer shell
that maintain a dry, heated, or cooled indoor environment and facilitate its climate control. Building envelope
design is a specialized area of architectural and engineering practice that draws from all areas of building
science and indoor climate control.
The many functions of the building envelope can be separated into three categories:

 Support (to resist and transfer structural and dynamic loads)

 Control (the flow of matter and energy of all types)
 Finish (to meet desired aesthetics on the inside and outside)

Pollutants

is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the
usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oil) or
anthropogenic in origin (i.e. manufactured materials or byproducts from biodegradation). Pollutants result
in environmental pollution or become public health concerns when they reach a concentration high enough to
have significant negative impacts.

Thermal comfort

is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective
evaluation (ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55). The human body can be viewed as a heat engine where food is the
input energy. The human body will release excess heat into the environment, so the body can continue to
operate. The heat transfer is proportional to temperature difference. In cold environments, the body loses more
heat to the environment and in hot environments the body does not release enough heat. Both the hot and cold
scenarios lead to discomfort. Maintaining this standard of thermal comfort for occupants of buildings or other
enclosures is one of the important goals of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) design engineers.
Polystyrene

is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or

foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a
poor barrier to oxygen and water vapour and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most
widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene can be
naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing
peanuts and in the jewel cases used for storage of optical discs such as CDs and occasionally DVDs),
containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery, in the making of models, and as an alternative
material for phonograph records.

Biological agents

(also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon)

is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon
in bioterrorism or biological warfare (BW). In addition to these living or
replicating pathogens, toxins and biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,200 different
kinds of potentially weaponizable bio-agents have been described and studied to date.
Biological agents have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from
relatively mild allergic reactions to serious medical conditions, including serious injury, as well as serious or
permanent disability or even death. Many of these organisms are ubiquitous in the natural environment where
they are found in water, soil, plants, or animals. Bio-agents may be amenable to "weaponization" to render
them easier to deploy or disseminate. Genetic modification may enhance their incapacitating or lethal
properties, or render them impervious to conventional treatments or preventives. Since many bio-agents
reproduce rapidly and require minimal resources for propagation, they are also a potential danger in a wide
variety of occupational settings.

Infrastructure

is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and
facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and
private physical structures such as roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, and
telecommunications (including Internet connectivity and broadband access). In general, infrastructure has been
defined as "the physical components of interrelated systems providing commodities and services essential to
enable, sustain, or enhance societal living conditions" and maintain the surrounding environment.

Environmental issues

are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that
cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural
environment on the individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the environment
and humans. Environmentalism is a social and environmental movement that addresses environmental issues
through advocacy, legislation education, and activism.
Temperature analysis

is a branch of materials science where the properties of materials are studied as they change with temperature.
Several methods are commonly used – these are distinguished from one another by the property which is
measured:

 Dielectric thermal analysis: dielectric permittivity and loss factor

 Differential thermal analysis: temperature difference versus temperature or time
 Differential scanning calorimetry: heat flow changes versus temperature or time
 Dilatometry: volume changes with temperature change
 Dynamic mechanical analysis: measures storage modulus (stiffness) and loss modulus (damping) versus
temperature, time and frequency
 Evolved gas analysis: analysis of gases evolved during heating of a material, usually decomposition
products
 Isothermal titration calorimetry
 Isothermal microcalorimetry
 Laser flash analysis: thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity
 Thermogravimetric analysis: mass change versus temperature or time
 Thermomechanical analysis: dimensional changes versus temperature or time
 Thermo-optical analysis: optical properties
 Derivatography: A complex method in thermal analysis

Recycled waste

Is defined in the waste framework directive as any recovery operation by which waste materials
are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes.

Global temperature

Is sometimes referred to as global mean surface temperature, GMST, or global average surface
temperature) is calculated by averaging the temperature at the surface of the sea and air temperature over
land. In technical writing, scientists call long-term changes in GST global cooling or global warming. Periods
of both have happened regularly throughout earth's history.

Industrial revolution

It was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the
United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included
going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes,
the increasing use of steam power and water power, the development of machine tools and the rise of
the mechanized factory system. Output greatly increased, and a result was an unprecedented rise in population
and in the rate of population growth.
Preponderance of evidence

The standard is met if the proposition is more likely to be true than not true. In other words, the
standard is satisfied if there is a greater than fifty percent chance that the proposition is true.

Eco-Friendly

Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as

eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and
services, laws, guidelines and policies that claim reduced, minimal, or no harm upon ecosystems or the
environment.

Thermal insulator

Materials that are poor conductors of thermal energy are called thermal insulators. Gases such as
air and materials such as plastic and wood are thermal insulators.

Heat-trapping greenhouse gases

Earth's greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. The main gases
responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water
vapor (which all occur naturally), and fluorinated gases (which are synthetic)

Conductor

 is an object or type of material that allows the flow of charge (electric current) in one or more
directions. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors.

Insulator

 Is a material in which electric current does not flow freely. The atoms of the insulator have tightly
bound electrons which cannot readily move. Other materials—semiconductors and conductors—conduct
electric current more easily. The property that distinguishes an insulator is its resistivity; insulators have higher
resistivity than semiconductors or conductors. The most common examples are non-metals.
Expanded polystyrene or Extruded polystyrene

 is a rigid, closed cell, thermoplastic foam material produced from solid beads of polystyrene,
which is polymerised from styrene monomer and contains an expansion gas (pentane) dissolved within
the polystyrene bead.

Closed-cell

Closed cell foam is defined as a cell totally enclosed by its walls and hence not interconnecting
with other cells. Closed cell foam is usually made by subjecting a rubber compound to a gas, such as
nitrogen, under high pressure.

Open-celll

 is a rubber-like product made by incorporating an inflating agent, such as sodium bicarbonate,
into the rubber compound; this agent gives off a gas, which expands the rubber during vulcanization.
Foam is usually classified as “open cell” when more than half of its cells are open.

Condensation

is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse
of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle. It can also be defined as the change in the state
of water vapor to liquid water when in contact with a liquid or solid surface or cloud condensation
nuclei within the atmosphere. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase
directly, the change is called deposition.

High thermal resistance

is defined as the ratio of the temperature difference between the two faces of a material to the rate
of heat flow per unit area. Thermal resistance determines the heat insulation property of a textile
material. The higher the thermal resistance, the lower is the heat loss.

Reflective insulation

is a material with reflective facing—typical materials are foil-faced kraft paper, plastic film,
polyethylene bubbles or cardboard. Radiant barrier insulation consists of a reflective material (generally
aluminum foil) and can be combined with other materials in reflective insulation systems.
Styrofoam

is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), commonly called "Blue

Board", manufactured as foam continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations
as thermal insulation and water barrier. This material is light blue in color and is owned and manufactured
by DuPont. DuPont also has produced a line of green and white foam shapes for use in crafts and floral
arrangements.

Heat Flow

Heat moves through building assemblies primarily in three ways: by conduction, by convection,
and by radiation. Conduction is the movement of heat energy directly through solid materials from
molecule to molecule. The movement of the material plays no role in the transfer of heat.

Glass wool insulation

is an insulating material made from glass fiber arranged using a binder into a texture similar to wool.

The process traps many small pockets of air between the glass, and these small air pockets result in high
thermal insulation properties. Glass wool is produced in rolls or in slabs, with different thermal and mechanical
properties. It may also be produced as a material that can be sprayed or applied in place, on the surface to be
insulated.