Study of Thermal Properties of Lightweight Insulation Made of Flax Straw

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of the properties of flax straw as a raw material and as a lightweight, environmentally-friendly insulation made of a two-component mixture of flax straw and liquid glass. The flax is considered to be renewable and is a 100% natural waste product of the agriculture industry, which may be widely used as sustainable building insulation after light modifications. The ratio mixes of the two-component eco-insulation of flax straw and liquid glass (Na2O(SiO2)) have been developed in terms of sustainability principles such as environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. We used thermal analysis to compare flax straw as a raw material, and a complex insulation made of flax straw demonstrated a slower decomposition of the composite and shorter peaks, which supports the concept of the transformation of flax straw with liquid glass to increase its fire resistance properties. The peaks of the loss of mass with the exothermal process were defined for both flax samples. The thermal conductivity coefficient of the material is around 0.085 W/m K, which permits its use as an effective insulation material for sustainable buildings.

Comprehensive Review of Innovative Materials for Sustainable Buildings’ Energy Performance

“…In return, this creates new innovative market opportunities as these fiber composites make their way into construction products, ensuring the company achieves sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly building practices. New techniques to blend flax fibers with concrete are emerging and are in place [50,51]. These composites' beneficial properties are their low bulk density, ranging between 400 and 600 kg/m 3 , and low water vapor resistance coefficient that limits the risk of condensation in the walls comprising this material [52][53][54].…”

“…Whether microorganisms, anaerobic digestion, house or industrial composting as an end-of-life option for decomposing bioplastics, all these encourage a more sustainable circular economy. With bioplastics having less dependency on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the quantities of greenhouse gases associated with its production are diminished by 30 to 70% [51] since CO 2 absorbed during photosynthesis makes up for the CO 2 generated during biodegradation, making it carbon-neutral or even carbon negative [20,[65][66][67]. In buildings, these materials are currently being integrated into walls or other parts of the building structure, and in insulating, heating/cooling systems grace to their insulation and hygrothermal properties.…”

Comparative Study of Lightweight Concretes Based on Hemp and Flax Straw

“…Before adding the water glass, the concrete was diluted with the necessary amount of water. The contents of the concrete samples used are in Table 1 (Babenko M. et al, 2018).…”

“…The samples were heated in Al 2 O 3 crucibles. The parameters of the measurements are presented in Table 2 (Babenko M. et al, 2018).…”

Development of New Composite Products Based on Flax Fibres

“…In terms of acoustic and thermal performances, the insulation materials based on natural fibres are suitable for use in civil engineering [21]. A thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.085 W/mK was obtained by Babenko et al [22] in a study based on flax straw, making it an effective insulation material for sustainable buildings.…”