Abstract
The aim of the present study is to improve the thermal and hygric performance of magnesium oxychloride (MOC) cement composites by the incorporation of waste plastic-based aggregate and the use of the inner and surface hydrophobic agents. The crushed waste expanded polypropylene particles were used as a full replacement of natural silica sand. The aggregate properties were evaluated in terms of their physical and thermal parameters. The caustic calcined magnesite was studied by SEM, XRF, and XRD spectroscopy. The MOC cement composites were characterized by SEM/EDS, XRD, and FT-IR spectroscopy and measurement of their structural properties, strength parameters, thermal conductivity, and volumetric heat capacity. Assessment of water- and water vapor transport properties was also conducted. The results show significantly improved thermal parameters of MOC cement composite containing expanded polypropylene (EPP) as aggregate and indicate high efficiency of surface hydrophobic agent (impregnation) as a barrier against the transport of liquid and gaseous moisture. The resulting lightweight EPP-MOC cement composite with improved thermal insulation function and suitable mechanical properties can be used to produce thermal insulation floors, ceilings, or wall panels reducing the operational energy demand of buildings.
Highlights
Increasing concentrations of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, worldwide energy use, and amount of waste constitute currently the largest environmental problems
As further processing of expanded polypropylene (EPP) to obtain finer particles was refused in order to ensure low cost and low energy embedded in raw materials, the granulometry of EPP
For the reduction of the thermal conductivity values of the tested magnesium oxychloride (MOC) cement composites it was desirable to select the filler having a low thermal conductivity compared to silica sand commonly used in the construction industry
Summary
Increasing concentrations of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (especially CO2 ), worldwide energy use, and amount of waste constitute currently the largest environmental problems. Sci. 2019, 9, 5463 volume of CO2 emissions can be attributed to building industry, whether related to construction materials production or energy needed for heating and cooling of insufficiently insulated buildings [1,2]. For example production of Portland cement (PC) contributes to circa 5–7% of the global CO2 emissions [3,4]. There are efforts to find an alternative to PC that would have a low carbon footprint
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