Jørgen Munter

FIRE RETARDANT
ISODAN is a small Danish manufacturer of specialised machinery for processing cellulose fibre from waste paper. The fibres have proved to be a most environmental-friendly insulation material as well as being cheap, fire retardant and soundproof. Since the machines are built as mobile units, they can easily be moved around in accordance with the user's requirements.

"Most people are amazed when they see the results of a recent fire test where a house insulated with rock wool burned to the ground, while a house insulated with glass wool suffered considerable damage and one insulated with old paper fibre remained intact," says Jørgen Munter. Munter is the man behind the ISODAN system which is in use in many countries across the world.

"The technology itself and paper fibre's insulation properties are well known," says Munter. "What we have done is to systematise the various processes in the system, the filters and the mixtures. In addition, of course, there is the automation process which is managed electronically via a PC, which only I can programme. The programming is part of the service contract which the buyer of the system signs with my firm. My main task, in fact, is to travel around to programme and maintain the systems."

Sounds far-fetched? In fact, this is exactly what happened in the Czech Republic following the country's decision to replace its old banknotes. Having shredded the old notes, the Central Bank in Praque despatched the material to ISODAN's local manufacturer. The result? A number of Czech families now live comfortably in houses which have literally been wrapped en money.

The basic material for the finished ISODAN product is cellulose fibre which is present in large quantities in old newspapers. In principle, however, all fibres can be used, including remnants of cotton or flax. The end product is a light granulate which is blown into the cavity between outer and inner walls or ceilings.

THEATRE FAN
Jørgen Munter has also experimented by spraying the insulating granulate directly on to surfaces.
Coating the sceneries for some stage plays being among the more special uses of the spray.

"It all illustrates the versatility of the product," says Munter. "Its real benefits, however, are environmental. Whereas the production of both rock wool and glass wool require large amount of energy, ISODAN requires very little. I also take a great interest in the whole concept of recycling. In fact on a world wide scale, more than two and a half times as much newspaper is produced than is needed for insulation purposes. Even if newsprint can be recycled again and again, too much of it still goes to waste.

ISODAN has been thoroughly tested in accordance with the German DIN standards. These tests have proved beyond doubt that its insulation properties are comparable to those of both glass and rock wool.
"And," as Jørgen Munter points out: "ISODAN costs less than a third."