Reed as a Thermal Insulation Material: Experimental Characterisation of the Physical and Thermal Properties

The building sector plays a significant role in reducing global energy use and carbon emissions. In the European Union (EU), the building stock represents 40% of total energy use and in which cooling and heating systems represent over 50%. Portugal is one of the EU countries where the consequences of energy poverty are most evident due to the families' financial inability to adequately climate their homes. The reasons are several, but they are mainly linked to buildings' poor passive thermal performance, resulting from inadequate adaptation to the climatic context and reduced thermal insulation. Thus, it is necessary to develop solutions to increase buildings’ thermal performance and reduce their potential environmental impact, which arises mainly from the significant use of active systems. In this sense, natural building materials are a promising solution, reducing energy use and carbon emissions related to buildings. This research studies the potential use of reed found in Portugal (Arundo donax) as a thermal insulation material. Its physical characterisation and the influence of geometry configuration on its thermal performance are evaluated. Its durability was studied too. Reed stalks were used to carry out the physical and durability tests. A reed board (150 x 150 mm) was built, and its thermal performance was tested in a hotbox. According to the results, the characteristics of reeds found in Portugal make it suitable to be used as a building material. Furthermore, regardless of the configuration studied, the reeds have a satisfactory thermal performance to be used as thermal insulation, under the requirements defined by Portuguese thermal regulation, Re ≥ 0.30 (m2.oC)/W. There is a trend to the mould growth in the reed, but only under favourable conditions. Additionally, considering the abundance of reed throughout the Portuguese territory, this is an eco-friendly and low-cost option that gathers all requirements to be more used in the construction market.

Thermal Insulation Materials in Architecture: A Comparative Test Study with Aerogel and Rock Wool

Thermal insulation has great potential to reduce energy consumption in buildings. This study aims to provide a general perspective by addressing the thermal insulation materials used throughout the history of the construction industry and to understand the current situation with developing technology. The literature review was used as a method in the study. The insulation values of current thermal insulation products were investigated and compared. An energy loss and gain analysis were carried out on the Revit model to understand the difference between the widely used rock wool and a nanotechnology product, aerogel-added thermal insulation material. The results of the study show that thermal insulation materials produced with nanotechnology examined have lower thermal conductivity coefficients compared to other thermal insulation materials. According to the analysis carried out on the Revit model, the thermal insulation material with aerogel provides 8% savings in cooling loads compared to the use of rock wool. Developing competitive and sustainable materials is of the utmost importance. The literature review suggests that new composite insulators can be produced by combining suitable materials.

Utilization of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Corncob (Zea mays) in Epoxy-based Biocomposite Board for Cool Box Thermal Insulation Material

Generally, the cool box is produced using styrofoam as the main thermal insulation material. However, the use of styrofoam potentially cause pollution to the environment at the end of its useful life because it cannot decompose naturally. The effort to overcome this problem is by producing thermal insulation materials from natural sources such as water hyacinth and corncob. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of biocomposite board made from combination of water hyacinth powder and corncob ash based on physical, mechanical, and thermal conductivity analysis. Biocomposite boards were produced by introducing combination of water hyacinth powder and corncorb ash (5, 10, 15%wt) into epoxy resin. The ratio of water hyacinth powder and corncob ash were 100:0 (P0), 95:5 (P1), 90:10 (P2), 85:15 (P3). The biocomposite boards were also made from water hyacinth powder and corncob powder, which ratio of 15:85 (P4) and 0:100 (P5). The results of this research revealed that type P5 board had the lowest density value (0.927 g / cm3) and the lowest water absorption value (1.53%). The P2 type board shows the highest bending strength (8.6 N/mm2) which met the requirements of JIS A 5908 for particleboards type 8. The highest value of compressive strength was observed at P5 type board which was 2.94 ± 0.53 N / mm2. The lowest thermal conductivity values were observed at P2 type boards (0.305 W / mK). It can be concluded that, P2 type board had the best thermal insulator properties among other boards in this study. The thermal insulation effectiveness assessment of biocomposite board for cool box application was conducted using P2 and P5 type boards. The assessment results demonstrated that the styrofoam cool box and commercial cool box performance for maintaining temperature were superior compared to biocomposite cool box. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examine the biocomposite cool box, especially in terms of panel assembling and the shape of the lid, to produce biocomposite cool box with thermal insulator properties comparable to the commercial cool box.

The Usage of Modern Inorganic Composite Material in the Design of Insulation of Unheated Smoke-Free Stairwells

The article describes the problems that arise during the operation of unheated, smoke-free stairwells in multi-storey residential buildings. Measures are proposed for thermal protection of premises adjacent to stairwells of the H1 type. To solve the problems of improving the energy efficiency of the building, it is proposed to use modern thermal insulation material. In addition, a constructive solution is proposed for the insulation of the internal walls of an unheated, smoke-free stairwell using foam glass, which will ensure the strength, durability and reliability of thermal protection and finishing. Using modern composite materials, it is possible to improve the energy efficiency of the building.