A new environmentally friendly insulating material designed from natural materials

• Published in: Construction & building materials 2020-09, Vol.255, p.119357, Article 119357
• Main Authors: Erkmen, Jülide, Yavuz, Halil Ibrahim, Kavci, Erbil, Sari, Mihriban
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Clay; Hydrophobicity; Insulation; Natural Fiber; Thermal Conductivity Coefficient
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119357

•Hisrophobic clay material was rendered well hydrophilic.•A very strong material was obtained using natural fibers.•Heat transfer coefficient reduced with the addition of natural fiber.•A material with very low water absorption was produced. The purpose of this study was to produce nature-friendly insulating materials designed from natural substances in the world where energy and environment conservation has been increasingly coming to prominence. In the samples of the produced insulating material, wool, kenaf and wheat straw were used as fiber, clay was used as the filling material, and water-based paint binder was used as the binder. The particle size and the ratio of clay and the kind of fiber were determined as the parameters of production. The thermal conductivity coefficient, water repellency, compression stress and force resistance were measured for all samples. The material coded as N2 was selected as the best material based on density (0.45 g/cm3), thermal conductivity coefficient (0.061 W/mK), compressive strength (4.9 MPa/m2), force resistance (9200 kg force/m2), water absorption (% 0,0015 /hour) and contact angle (150,72°) in comparison to the other produced materials. A material, which is completely biodegradable, without toxic gas emission and nature-friendly, was produced.