Thermal insulation materials based on water hyacinth for application in sustainable buildings

Abstract

The constant increase in environmental pollution and consumption of energy has prompted the construction industry to focus on thermal insulation. Non-renewable resources are commonly used for the production of thermal insulation materials. Therefore, a number of issues arise relating to the reuse or recycle of such materials. Also, a huge amount of energy is required for their production. Yet, another major issue of concern in India is the aquatic weed infestation in water bodies. Invasive weeds such as water hyacinth (WH) are posing severe environmental as well as economic issues. A potential remedy for these waste disposal and high dependence on non-renewable materials are the conversions of these aquatic weeds into sustainable construction material. The primary objective of this paper is to explore the utilization of WH petioles as a raw material resource for the production of thermal insulation material. The methodology to design the water hyacinth cement composite panel and its properties such as bulk density, water absorption, thermal conductivity, and flexural strength areincluded in this paper. The WH was collected; petioles were separated, sun-dried, milled into smaller particle sizes, and blend with a homogenous paste of cement and water. The homogenous mixture was poured into a mould and was compacted to produce the thermal insulation boards. The panel boards were made with water hyacinth particles that pass through 2.36 mm sieve. Water to water hyacinth ratio (w: WH) and the water hyacinth-cement ratio (WH: cement) used in the present work are 1.75 and 60: 40 respectively. In this paper, a comparative study between the thermal insulation materials made from WH with agro-waste based panel board and conventional thermal insulation materials are also included. This study indicates that WH biomass resources are a very good candidate for developing thermal insulation material and the correct combination of WH is absolutely comparable with conventional materials.