Possibilities of Hydrophobization of Thermo-Insulating Materials Based on Natural Resources

2014 ◽  
Vol 897 ◽  
pp. 153-156
Author(s):  
Jiri Zach ◽  
Jitka Peterková ◽  
Nikol Žižková

Current times emphasize utilization of new and promising building materials with no negative environmental impact, for reasonable price and with excellent end-use properties. Insulation materials based on natural fibers represent a good alternative for current standardly used insulation materials like foamed plastic materials and mineral wool. Input materials for such industrial insulation materials are particularly crude oil and non-renewable natural resources (moreover, manufacture of these insulation materials consumes high amount of energy). From this point of view, natural insulation materials are more advantageous, because their manufacture uses easily renewable materials resources, like fibers from agriculture (flax, technical hemp). However, these materials have two disadvantages higher sensitivity to humidity (higher water absorbing capacity and hygroscopic nature) and worse reaction to fire. The paper deals with selection of appropriate hydrophobic agent preventing high sensitivity to humidity of developed natural materials and monitoring of moisture content after application of hydrophobized materials within the frame of the ETICS system.

Author(s):  
Jiří Maděra ◽  
Jan Kočí ◽  
Václav Kočí

Computational modeling represents useful tool for the assessment of newly designed or refurbished building materials and structures. Especially, when complex buildings elements need to be assessed from a hygrothermal point of view, the computational modeling is the right approach with desired power and accuracy. In this paper a historical wall element is investigated using two-dimensional simulation in order to study the effect of application of several insulation materials in various scenarios. In total two insulation materials are investigated (mineral wool, wood fiber boards) that are applied in three different scenarios. All simulations are performed under real climatic load. The results of the computational simulations reveal potential weak points in system application and can provide engineers and designers with valuable recommendations and practical information. The best results were obtained for thermal insulation from mineral wool. On the other hand, an improper system application can lead to a significant devaluation of the beneficial effects on the thermal performance of the studied brick element.


Author(s):  
Sheron Henry Christy

Remote sensing is a very good alternative technology for managing natural resources as compared to conventional technologies. This paper highlights the various challenges in UAS sensors. Comparison of IRS-P6 and Land Sat sensors is described from accuracy point of view by covering same areas by both the sensors which gives the performance features of both the sensors. Inter sensor calibration is depicted to realize its importance in applications like precision farming, disaster management, etc. requiring multiple dated satellite images.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-91
Author(s):  
A. V Bolotin ◽  
S. M Sergeev ◽  
A. A Lunegova ◽  
E. A Kochetkova

Modern technologies are not standing still, and scientists are trying not only to invent new building materials, but also to find non-standard use of various raw materials that were previously considered unsuitable for use. Innovative technologies are actively used for modern construction of buildings, in particular, some types of new materials are used in the construction of various facilities. This is especially true in areas where it is not possible to import or use ordinary building materials for various reasons. Often, when designing a building, developers are wondering whether it is worth making the house warm during construction, and which insulation for the walls of the house is better to choose. This article addresses the question of which insulation for walls is most suitable for construction. The most common are mineral insulation, which are represented on the market today in the form of basalt slabs, fiberglass, etc. They have such advantages as low thermal conductivity, good thermal insulation and vapor permeability. The article presents a table with comparative performance characteristics of a mineral wool stone slab and a fiberglass slab. Stone or basalt wool has several advantages. It is able to withstand significant temperatures and temperature changes, the mats are easy to transport, convenient to install. In our opinion, a serious alternative to basalt in the production of thermal insulation materials is volcanic ash. One of the main features of volcanic ash are its building qualities, such as good thermal insulation and an environmentally friendly composition. Since here we are considering the possibility of producing insulation materials based on volcanic ash, we performed a thermal calculation of the enclosing structures. Also in the tables are the costs of transportation of volcanic ash from the field to the point of the proposed production of insulating material. Volcanic ash can be widely used in countries with high volcanic activity as an inexpensive raw material for the manufacture of building materials. It does not require additional processing and has a number of useful properties.


Author(s):  
Preben Hansen ◽  
Vesna Grujoska ◽  
Milica Jovanoska

AbstractAs human population grows in number, the amount of (organic and non-organic) waste materials has grown rapidly year by year.Changes of consumption and lifestyle have generated a higher waste amount. Waste management has become a significant issue in today’s society. In 2014, the EU countries registered 2.494 million tons of generated waste, which was an increase in growth of 2.8% compared with data from 2008. Different renewable materials are ending up as waste, such as glass, paper, plastic, textile, which may be used in a recycling process. This chapter will discuss these challenges with the focus on one of these materials, textiles, as building materials.We also introduce the perspective of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) aspects, and especially Human-Built Environment Interaction which will give some specific focus on textiles used as recycled materials. The result of the critical literature review in the area of textiles as building material from an HCI point of view suggest a set of interaction design dimensions that can be considered and applied on the usage of textiles for built environments.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-102
Author(s):  
Milan Porhincak ◽  
Adriana Estokova

Abstract Building activity has recently led to the deterioration of environment and has become unsustainable. Several strategies have been introduced in order to minimize consumption of energy and resulting CO2 emissions having their origin in the operational phase. But also other stages of Life Cycle should are important to identify the overall environmental impact of construction sector. In this paper 5 similar Slovak buildings (family houses) were analyzed in terms of environmental performance of building materials used for their structures. Evaluation included the weight of used materials, embodied energy and embodied CO2 and SO2 emissions. Analysis has proven that the selection of building materials is an important factor which influences the environmental profile. Findings of the case study indicated that materials like concrete, ceramic or thermal insulation materials based on polystyrene and mineral wool are ones with the most negative environmental impact.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Dumanić ◽  
Deana Breški ◽  
Sandra Juradin

Nowadays, various materials are being analyzed as a possible component of pavement structure with the goal of using sustainable building materials and protecting the environment. Waste and recycled materials are added to pavement layers in order to improve it. Also, the possibility of using natural, renewable materials by incorporating them into existing standard materials is been examined. Cement-stabilized base course increases load-carrying capacity of the pavement but is prone to cracking which causes reflection cracks in an asphalt surface. Reinforcement of cement-stabilized base course can be achieved by the addition of fibers. Fibers added to the cement stabilization tend to prevent or delay the crack initiation and propagation by redistributing the resulting stresses. Considering the research conducted to-date and the need to use sustainable materials in combination with cement stabilization, some attempts are being made to achieve improvements of this pavement layer. Natural fibers are locally available, economical, renewable and degradable, and can be used as reinforcement. In the Mediterranean area, a possible source of cellulose fibers is found in the wild plant named Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum L). This paper offers an overview of research studies about fiber reinforcement of cement-stabilized base course. It also presents current research on Spanish Broom fibers in cement composites, as well as possible ways of obtaining and treating fibers. Based on the results of this research, a method for obtaining the fibers can be selected which might improve the mechanical properties of cement-stabilized course.


2019 ◽  
Vol 887 ◽  
pp. 90-97
Author(s):  
Jiří Zach ◽  
Jitka Hroudová ◽  
Azra Korjenic

The trend of achieving sustainable development in the area of new, eco-friendly materials remains topical for many experts concerned with developing new materials applicable worldwide in civil engineering as well as elsewhere. Our research team has for many years been developing non-traditional materials that meet the current requirements. These materials are made with organic fibers – waste natural fibers produced by agriculture or waste industrial (locally produced) fibers. Their thermal and acoustic insulation properties are very close to those of conventional insulation materials (expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, mineral wool, polyurethane foam), which are still finding broad use in the Czech Republic despite their harmful impact on the environment. The paper focuses on the various uses of several types of textile fibers (mainly by-products) in the development of modern insulation materials with a high value added. These materials bear several specific advantages over conventional insulations, which enable, among others, easier installation. Some of the newly developed insulations can also be used as core insulations in the manufacture of vacuum insulation panels (VIP).


Author(s):  
Ayaz Ahmed ◽  
Adnan Qayoum

AbstractThe demand for natural insulation materials is increasing with special attention to the use of such materials for exploiting renewable energy. Natural insulation materials tremendously influence the sustainability development and energy efficiency enhancement in the buildings. Natural fibers from animal’s origin absorb great amount of moisture on exposed to the environment which significantly affects the performance and thermal insulation properties. The thermal degradation of such material strongly influences the accidental burning characteristics, an important selection criteria for building materials. In the present study, three different kind of natural insulation materials namely sheep wool, goat wool and horse mane have been characterized in terms of moisture absorption, thermal degradation and morphology using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry techniques, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. In addition, antibacterial behavioral study has been also carried out for untreated raw wool and treated wool (copper nitrate). These properties are vital for a holistic evaluation of the insulation material. Moisture absorption results indicate that the sheep wool and goat wool absorb less moisture content as compared to horse mane. Unlike this horse mane shows great stability than goat wool and sheep wool in the temperature range not exceeding 470 °C. TGA data indicate 50% mass loss (T50%) at 306 °C, 322 °C and 318 °C for sheep wool, goat wool and horse mane, respectively. In addition the tests show that the content of fire retardant elements like nitrogen and sulphur is more in horse mane as compared to sheep wool and goat wool. The treated wool samples showed excellent antibacterial properties as compared to untreated wool samples.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3564
Author(s):  
Arnas Majumder ◽  
Laura Canale ◽  
Costantino Carlo Mastino ◽  
Antonio Pacitto ◽  
Andrea Frattolillo ◽  
...  

The building sector is known to have a significant environmental impact, considering that it is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions of around 36% and is also responsible for about 40% of global energy consumption. Of this, about 50% takes place during the building operational phase, while around 10–20% is consumed in materials manufacturing, transport and building construction, maintenance, and demolition. Increasing the necessity of reducing the environmental impact of buildings has led to enhancing not only the thermal performances of building materials, but also the environmental sustainability of their production chains and waste prevention. As a consequence, novel thermo-insulating building materials or products have been developed by using both locally produced natural and waste/recycled materials that are able to provide good thermal performances while also having a lower environmental impact. In this context, the aim of this work is to provide a detailed analysis for the thermal characterization of recycled materials for building insulation. To this end, the thermal behavior of different materials representing industrial residual or wastes collected or recycled using Sardinian zero-km locally available raw materials was investigated, namely: (1) plasters with recycled materials; (2) plasters with natural fibers; and (3) building insulation materials with natural fibers. Results indicate that the investigated materials were able to improve not only the energy performances but also the environmental comfort in both new and in existing buildings. In particular, plasters and mortars with recycled materials and with natural fibers showed, respectively, values of thermal conductivity (at 20 °C) lower than 0.475 and 0.272 W/(m⋅K), while that of building materials with natural fibers was always lower than 0.162 W/(m⋅K) with lower values for compounds with recycled materials (0.107 W/(m⋅K)). Further developments are underway to analyze the mechanical properties of these materials.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 3773
Author(s):  
Simone Mineo ◽  
Giovanna Pappalardo

Infrared thermography is a growing technology in the engineering geological field both for the remote survey of rock masses and as a laboratory tool for the non-destructive characterization of intact rock. In this latter case, its utility can be found either from a qualitative point of view, highlighting thermal contrasts on the rock surface, or from a quantitative point of view, involving the study of the surface temperature variations. Since the surface temperature of an object is proportional to its emissivity, the knowledge of this last value is crucial for the correct calibration of the instrument and for the achievement of reliable thermal outcomes. Although rock emissivity can be measured according to specific procedures, there is not always the time or possibility to carry out such measurements. Therefore, referring to reliable literature values is useful. In this frame, this paper aims at providing reference emissivity values belonging to 15 rock types among sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic categories, which underwent laboratory emissivity estimation by employing a high-sensitivity thermal camera. The results show that rocks can be defined as “emitters”, with emissivity generally ranging from 0.89 to 0.99. Such variability arises from both their intrinsic properties, such as the presence of pores and the different thermal behavior of minerals, and the surface conditions, such as polishing treatments for ornamental stones. The resulting emissivity values are reported and commented on herein for each different studied lithology, thus providing not only a reference dataset for practical use, but also laying the foundation for further scientific studies, also aimed at widening the rock aspects to investigate through IRT.


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