Study on the Performance of Eggshells as a Humidity Control Building Material

Abstract

AbstractWith the sustainable development of global environmental protection, waste recycling has become an important policy for establishing a friendly environment. Humidity in the indoor environment can cause the growth of mold and the spread of bacteria, when in turn lead to health problems, such as respiratory diseases, asthma, allergies, fatigue, and headaches. Therefore, waste is effectively used as a building material for indoor humidity control. This will benefit the health of indoor occupants.In this study, discarded eggshells were selected as the research and development of indoor humidity control building materials, and were analyzed and compared with two natural humidity control coatings on the market. They were classified into three types as A-CO, B-SI and C-ES, and their humidity control capabilities are: (A) The moisture absorption capacity of A-CO is 74.77 g/m2, and the moisture release capacity is 72.48 g/m2. (B) The moisture absorption capacity of B-SI is 61.47 g/m2, and the moisture release capacity is 51.92 g/m2. (C) The moisture absorption capacity of C-ES is 100 g/m2, and the moisture release capacity is 91.8 g/m2. According to this result, the order of moisture absorption and dehumidification performance is C-ES > A-CO > B-SI; the overall performance ranking is C-ES > A-CO > B-SI. Through the equilibrium moisture content experiment of the developed building material (C-ES), we know that, on average, each 20 cm * 20 cm sample can absorb 4.05 g of water and release 3.66 g of water. This result can prove that discarded eggshells can be used as building materials for indoor humidity control, help reduce the amount of waste on the planet, and are environmentally friendly to the planet.KeywordsEggshellsHumidity control building materialsBalanced moisture contentIndoor environmental humidity