Study of Thermal Insulation Performance of Layered Jute Nonwoven: A Sustainable Material

Abstract

ABSTRACT An eco-friendly sustainable thermal insulator has been developed as a replacement of some commercially available manmade materials to control heat transfer in case of buildings, and semi-permanent/temporary structures. Jute felts were prepared by needle pinching of fiber fleece. It is a self-sustained semi-rigid structure and could be placed on various surface profiles of the building/structure due to its balanced flexural rigidity and surface property of fiber. Effect of areal density, thickness, and number of layers of jute felt on its major thermal insulation property parameters were studied. Some major structural parameters of felts viz., pore size, bulk density, and air fraction as gas pockets in fibrous structure were analyzed and correlated with the insulation property. Felt having 500 g/m2 areal density showed best specific thermal insulation performance. When it was used in four layers, its thermal insulation value reached up to 341 m2K/kW, which is much comparable to those of glass wool (320 m2K/kW), nitrile rubber (320 m2K/kW), and polystyrene (381 m2K/kW) insulators. The cost of jute felts ($ 2.81 for four layers of 500 g/m2) was much comparable to synthetics ($2.9 for glass wool and $ 2.7 for nitrile rubber) of similar thermal insulation value. It also facilitates remarkable saving of costly floor space to the extent of 28% as compared to synthetics. The ease of tailorability of jute felt was also studied by measuring drapability, tensile strength, tear strength, and energy required to cut the felt. Inherent multiple lumens within fiber structure, partial anisotropy of polymer chains, and innumerable tiny gas pockets within the felt structure are the major reasons for the high thermal insulation of jute felt.