Limburg-based company Aerobel develops natural insulation material
For several years, Sam Chartouni (31) has been building his start-up to bring aerogel, an expensive super-insulator from the space industry, sustainably into construction. Now Aerobel, the company founded by the young Limburg entrepreneur, has developed a new and fully bio-based material. With it, the company hopes to position itself between conventional PUR insulation and natural but less stable hemp, wood wool or flax.
Young entrepreneur Sam Chartouni has been working for several years to simplify and scale up aerogel, the insulation material used in space applications. In one year, his company Aerobel has now developed a completely new bio-based insulation material that, according to its founder, can compete with well-known PUR and PIR insulation.
Like those established construction materials, Polyvox, as the material has been named, consists of two components that are foamed. But the components are made from natural, non-toxic substances whose production CO₂ footprint is “three to eight times lower”.
Aerobel profile
- Founded in March 2020 by Limburg entrepreneur Sam Chartouni (31).
- Develops and produces the super-insulator aerogel, adapted and scaled from the space industry, and since last year also the natural insulation material Polyvox.
- Revenue (2024): €2.3 million.
- Profitable.
- 18 employees, plus 10 open positions.
Production is simpler than that of aerogel, allowing capacity to be scaled to 16,500 tonnes in ten months. If that capacity were ever fully used, Aerobel would generate revenue of €60 million to €80 million. “We are already selling small volumes, and everything is ready to send our sales teams into the market,” says Chartouni. “We have already sold 10 percent of our production capacity.”
Not yet competitive with major brands
Polyvox’s insulation values are still 30 percent below those of the best-performing PUR and PIR products, Chartouni acknowledges. “But based on our research, we have good reason to believe we can largely close that gap. The price is also still between 15 and 30 percent higher, but that can evolve towards the same price as we achieve more volume.”
“We realise that with our aerogel, we need to focus on niche markets.” — Sam Chartouni, founder of Aerobel
“For the time being, our product cannot compete with the standard PUR insulation boards from major brands,” says Chartouni. “But it can compete in the rapidly growing biomaterials market, with materials such as hemp, flax or wood wool. Those are less stable and consistent than our product.” Chartouni also hopes Polyvox can capture a share of other markets, such as mattresses and furniture manufacturing, where the material can be used in a more flexible form. “Prices are higher there.”
Chartouni says he already has several major customers for the new insulation material but cannot yet name them. Revenue at the company founded by the 31-year-old Limburg entrepreneur doubled in one year to €2.3 million. “And this year, too, we will generate a profit.” The company also has 10 open positions to reinforce its current team of 18 employees.
Slower than expected
What has happened in the meantime to the once so promising aerogel? And what happened to the millions that, among others, the shareholders of building materials distributor Fedrus were going to invest in an aerogel factory? “It is currently being built, but because of the complexity of scaling up, everything is moving somewhat more slowly than expected,” says Chartouni.
“We also realise that we need to target niche markets with it. We see opportunities in the growing battery business, among others, where insulation can cost a little more and where fire retardancy and water repellence are important. The dream is to one day combine our new Polyvox technology with aerogel to create a high-performance and affordable insulation material.”
Originally written by Tom Michielsen and published in De Tijd on 5 March 2025.
