The construction sector is responsible for substantial energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion, driving the search for sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based insulation materials. Lignocellulosic biomass, comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, offers a renewable resource for the development of bio-based foams with potential application in construction systems. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of bio-based foams tailored to building applications, positioning recent scientific advances against the technical properties of commercial synthetic insulation foams. Key performance parameters, including density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, dimensional stability, water vapour diffusion resistance, and fire behaviour, are critically examined. Developments in lignocellulosic-based foams are discussed, highlighting processing strategies such as crosslinking, chemical modification, and hybrid reinforcement to enhance mechanical, thermal, and fire performance. The reported results demonstrate that lignin-based polyurethane and phenolic foams can achieve competitive compressive strength and thermal insulation, while cellulose-based aerogels and foams exhibit ultra-low density and promising conductivity values. However, challenges related to moisture sensitivity, fire classification, process scalability, standardisation, and market integration remain significant. Overall, lignocellulosic foams represent a promising pathway toward decarbonised, circular construction systems, provided that technical optimisation and regulatory alignment are successfully achieved.
Vieira et al. (Thu,) studied this question.