Date Palm Surface Fibers for Green Thermal Insulation

Abstract

Some of the major challenges of the twenty-first century include the continued increase in energy consumption and environmental pollution. One approach to overcoming these challenges is to increase the use of waste materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing methods. The high energy consumption in the building sector contributes significantly to global climatic changes. Here, by using date palm surface fibers, a high-performance green insulation material was developed via a simple technique that did not rely on any toxic ingredients. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as a binding agent. Four insulation samples were made, each with a different density within the range of 203 to 254 kg/m3. Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity values for these four green insulators were 0.038–0.051 and 0.137–0.147 mm2/s, respectively. Thermal transmittance (U−value) of the four insulation composites was between 3.8–5.1 , which was in good comparison to other insulators of similar thickness. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that insulating sample have excellent thermal stability, with an initial degradation temperature of 282 °C, at which just 6% of its original weight is lost. Activation energy () analysis revealed the fire-retardancy and weakened combustion characteristics for the prepared insulation composite. According to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, the insulating sample has a melting point of 225 °C, which is extremely close to the melting point of the binder. The fiber-based insulating material’s composition was confirmed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ultimate tensile range of the insulation material is 6.9–10 MPa, being a reasonable range. Our study’s findings suggest that developing insulation materials from date palm waste is a promising technique for developing green and low-cost alternatives to petroleum-based high-cost and toxic insulating materials. These insulation composites can be installed in building envelopes during construction.

Characterization of a Thermal Insulating Material Based on a Wheat Straw and Recycled Paper Cellulose to Be Applied in Buildings by Blowing Method

“…Finally, the last group identified corresponds to C-O identified around 1030 (cm −1 ), related to the stretching of the acetyl functional group, which is much stronger in wheat straw compared with the FTIR analysis of cellulose. These results are similar to other FTIR analyses of lignocellulosic fibers for building applications reported in the literature [2,32,49,53], that show the presence of similar functional groups, indicating that the raw material has no toxic components.…”

“…These results are similar to other FTIR analyses of lignocellulosic fiber plications reported in the literature [2,32,49,53], that show the presen tional groups, indicating that the raw material has no toxic component Figure 5 shows four microscopic images of the paper cellulose. Th of the cellulose can be observed in image (a), accompanied by agglomer These elongated fibers are the ones that probably give cellulose its ther pacity.…”

“…In image (d), the particles of boron salts are clearly observed, which are homogeneously mixed throughout the material. This fibrous macrostructure is similar to other natural fibers used for insulation applications reported in other works, such as pine fiber [51], palm surface fiber [49] or pisum sativum [2].…”

“…In images (b) and (c), in addition to observing in greater detail th of the cellulose, small white clusters begin to be observed, which are salts that are present in the analyzed cellulose and that give it the ab action of fire and to repel insects, among others. In image (d), the part are clearly observed, which are homogeneously mixed throughout the brous macrostructure is similar to other natural fibers used for insulatio ported in other works, such as pine fiber [51], palm surface fiber [49] [2]. At approximately 3290 (cm −1 ), an important absorption band is observed, corresponding to O-H bonds and belonging to the hydrogen bridges between the hydroxyl groups of the glucose chains that compose the cellulose, as well as belonging to the remains of water that could have been in both samples.…”

“…These values of thermal stability are slightly lower than other insulation composites with lignocellulosic fibers in their composition [49][50][51]. However, the results suggests that these materials can be used as a building material, since the stability temperature of 170-260 • C is enough for building applications at low and medium temperatures [52].…”