Use of Coconut Fiber as a Low-Cost Thermal Insulator

Author(s):  
GS Kochhar ◽  
K Manohar
2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 236-244
Author(s):  
Paulo Henrique Frata Ferreira ◽  
Vitor Corrêa de Mattos Barretto ◽  
Renato Nallin Montagnolli ◽  
Paulo Renato Matos Lopes

The efficiency of forest species production is associated with the seedlings quality. Hence, the substrate used is a determining factor in crop productivity, such as eucalyptus. Thus, the physical and chemical parameters of alternative and sustainable substrates were evaluated using coconut fiber and vermicompost in the production of Corymbia citriodora seedlings. Plants performance and quality were also evaluated by determining plant biomass and Dickson’s quality index, with or without mineral supplementation during cultivation. Results revealed that the proposed substrates obtained good physical and chemical characteristics when compared to a commercial substrate. The fertilization of seedlings showed to be essential in the production of more vigorous and better quality plants. The best quality C. citriodora seedlings was produced in the commercial substrate. However, it is worth highlighting the seedlings performance using alternative substrates such as coconut fiber and vermicompost, which represent a great potential for improvement, mainly due to its low cost and the observed result regarding the possible availability of nutrients in a gradual and constant way during the plants development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6279
Author(s):  
Alessia Di Giuseppe ◽  
Alberto Maria Gambelli ◽  
Federico Rossi ◽  
Andrea Nicolini ◽  
Nicola Ceccarelli ◽  
...  

Late frosts are one of the major impact factors on agriculture worldwide with large economic losses for agricultural crops, with a significant impact also in wine production. Given the importance of the wine sector in the world, more and more efforts are being made to identify innovative techniques capable of creating a low-cost and effective protection for vine shoots, as well as reducing energy consumption. In a previous work, cotton candy was identified as an insulating material to solve the problems related to late frosts on vineyards and limit its damages as much as possible. From the results of the previous research, it has proved that cotton candy is an excellent thermal insulator, but it degrades quickly in windy conditions. Thus, climatic tests carried out in windy condition showed that straw can greatly slow down the degradation of cotton candy over time, giving an indirect contribution to the protective effectiveness of cotton candy. In addition, several tests were conducted with different amounts of sugar and straw without wind to evaluate whether the straw can itself make a contribution in terms of thermal insulation, as well as contribute to the protective effectiveness of cotton candy, minimizing energy use as well.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (3) ◽  
pp. 1112-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marysol Aceituno-Medina ◽  
Olivia Rincón-Betancurt ◽  
Rita Teresa Martínez-Salgado ◽  
Emilio Hernández

This paper describes the concept of full function portable ventilator, which have low cost, minimum weight, compact, small-sized. It can easily operate by mobile application and that application able to measure PEEP pressure, tidal volume and flow rate. The essential components used are stepper motor, rack and pinion, motor driver, Nod MCU, Acrylic sheet, Battery etc. There are some open sources Hardware ventilator (OSM-MVs) have been used during COVID-19 Pandemic. The ventilator device breaths by compressing a convention bag-valve mask (BVM) with a help of Rack and Pinion, that eliminate the need of human operator for the BVM. Initially the prototype is built out by Acrylic Sheets, it is work as thermal insulator and it's approximately 20% better than glass. The measurement of portable ventilator is 9.8*4.7*7 inches (250*120*180) mm and weighting 2.20lbs (1.5kg). It is driven by the motor driver powered by a VDC battery. The sensors are used to operate it by a mobile operation for measurement of tidal volume, PEEP pressure etc. The design is made up of CAD software and also makes Ansys for this device. The experimental results taking after testing on artificial lung that where the Positive Inspiratory Pressure (PIP), respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume, Positive end- expiratory pressure (PEEP) and its accuracy exceeding human capabilities in BVM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Maurício Hartmann ◽  
◽  
Eder Marques ◽  

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the germination of lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora) on different substrates. The following were tested: 1) commercial substrate, 2) sand, 3) sand + coconut fiber (2: 1), 4) coconut fiber, 5) substrate + coconut fiber (2: 1), 6) sand + substrate (2: 1) and the control treatment (germitest paper). Based on the experiment, it was observed that germination varied between 57 and 74%, although there was no significant difference between treatments. The treatments that led to a higher germination speed were the control (germitest paper), followed by the commercial substrate, coconut fiber, sand + substrate and substrate + fiber, with no significant difference, indicating that they are the best for the germination of C. citriodora seeds. The substrate based on coconut fiber is promising, as it can be considered an alternative and low-cost substrate.


Author(s):  
S. S. A. Lima ◽  
H. J. B. Lima Filho ◽  
S. C. de Paiva ◽  
A. S. Messias

In this paper, we describe an experimental activity involving the water treatment steps using the activated carbon made from coconut fibre and grape pomace packaged in a filter constructed with low-cost material to adsorb chemical elements present in the underground saline water before desalination. The activated carbon (CA) was prepared with grape pomace (P) and coconut fiber (C) mixtures, with coconut/pomace doses of 100/0; 75/25; 50/50; 25/75; 0/100 (the first stage of the experiment). The 50C/50P mixture was statistically considered the most suitable for the production of CA, being chemically activated with ZnCl2, underflow of 100 mL/min, at 550ºC for 60 minutes. To evaluate the efficiency of the filter with the carbon produced, different contact times were used. Tests were performed every 5 minutes totalling 60 minutes. After the pH, EC, Na, K, Ca, Mg and Cl determinations in each collection and the corresponding statistical analysis, it was noticed that in the initial five minutes there was already positive response to adsorption of the determined elements.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Foadieng ◽  
P. K. Talla ◽  
G. B. Nkamgang ◽  
M. Fogue

Raffia is a kind of fast-growing palm tree, from the family of Arecaceae, encountered in marshy areas and along rivers. In this study, the “Raffia Bamboo” is the stalk of a palm, made of a fragile marrow inside a thin shell, smooth and hard to protect the latter. In our region, this material is widely used to build all the low-cost traditional houses and furniture, to make granaries storage of dry products, to build chicken coops, to make decoration. Thus, various jobs are organized around this material, with the fight against poverty. To our knowledge, information on its thermal properties is almost nonexistent. The experimental determination of the transverse thermal properties of the dry shell, the dry marrow, and the whole dry bamboo helped to find, for each, a specific heat, a thermal diffusivity, a thermal conductivity, and finally a thermal effusivity. From the analysis of results, we deduce that the thermal properties of raffia bamboo vinifera L. Arecacea make it a very good thermal insulator.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Warlen Librelon De Oliveira ◽  
Alexandre Alex Barbosa Xavier ◽  
Renata Carolina Fonseca Chaves ◽  
Pollyanna Marques De Souza ◽  
Letícia Oliveira Silva ◽  
...  

Coconut fiber is a very common residue in Brazil and already finds uses in different areas. This work evaluated the efficiency of this residue in the thermal insulation for later use in panels of low cost. The green fiber coconut residue was used in the production of samples for thermal and chemical analysis. By using a calorimeter, the measurements of temperatures were made and the coefficients of thermal conductivity were determined. The results showed the good performance of the material regarding its thermal absorption when compared to the data of a traditional material sold in the market.  Keywords: Coconut fiber, Thermal comfort, Thermal insulation. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 1012 ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Géssica da Silva Nicolau ◽  
Ricardo Pondé Weber ◽  
Sergio Neves Monteiro ◽  
Gabriela Azevedo Loureiro ◽  
Amanda Assis Lavinsky ◽  
...  

The high consumption of green coconut water, especially in tropical countries like Brazil, generates an aggravating factor to the environment, which is associated with the waste generated after its consumption. Thus, one of the possible ways of reusing the coconut shell after consumption is through the extraction of its fibers, which are considered for several applications. In general, natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) have been used for many purposes, such as reinforcement filler in composite materials, since they have low cost and good mechanical properties. With the intention of providing a better compatibility between the NLFs and the composite polymeric matrix, different types of surface treatments are carried out on the fibers, including mercerization, a chemical treatment in which a basic solution is used. In this sense, the present work aims to verify the influence of mercerization with 3% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on coconut fiber. Among the analyses carried out, stands the scanning electron microscope (SEM) on fresh and treated coconut fibers. The SEM analyses, allowed to observe that after treatment via mercerization, the fibers displayed a greater surface roughness. This indicates the partial removal of lignin, hemicellulose and some other extracts present on the outer layer of the coconut fiber. Therefore, mercerization will probably enable a better mechanical anchoring between fiber and matrix. Results obtained suggest the effectiveness of the mercerization process. However, it was also of concern that such treatment tends to generate NaOH residues, which is a negative factor regarding sustainability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2C) ◽  
pp. 126-132
Author(s):  
Do Thuy Tien

In recent years, the studies on finding the low cost methods to remove metal ions have been increased. Use of agricultural wastes such as coffee husk, coffee residue, coconut fiber, rice husk, peanut shells, cob, etc. as adsorbents to remove heavy metals, pollutants in wastewater has been of great concern in Viet Nam and regional countries. The results showed that the material from coffee husk had superior adsorption. In this study, the coffee husk was heated in Ar gas at temperatures of 300 oC, 400 oC, 500 oC, 600 oC for 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes, then was denatured by impregnation with HNO3 at different concentrations (1M, 3M, 5M). The adsorbent products from the above process from coffee husk were tested to find the best technical solution by studying the influences of pH (2 ÷ 9), contact time (10 ÷ 100 min), adsorbent dose (0.2 ÷ 10 g/L) and initial concentration Ni(II) (10 ÷ 60 mg/L). The research results showed that while the activated carbon samples treated at 400 oC in 30 minutes had Ni (II) adsorption capacity of 1.97 mg/g, the activated carbon by HNO3 had Ni (II) adsorption higher capacity, maximum adsorption capacity is 21.14 mg/g (more than 10 times in comparison with the non-denatured or non-modified coal). 


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