Advances in the development of thermal insulators based on natural fibers and recycled paper (#937)

Authors

González-Serrud, Sergio

Marín-Calvo, Nacarí

Quintero, Aristides

Nieto, Adalberto

Carvajal, Rolando

Solís, José

Abstract

In Panama, at the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, as part of the research lines in Manufacturing, Materials, Energy and Environment, several projects have been developed to assess the thermal insulation potential of different materials based on ASTM C-177 standards, for thermal conductivity coefficients determination. The studied materials are rice straw (0.050 W/mK), rice husk (0.073 W/mK), cellulose (obtained from recycled newspaper) (0.041 W/mK), and coconut fiber (0.025 W/mK). The obtained results have demonstrated the potential of these materials as thermal insulators. Although there is a need to improve manufacturing processes and specimen acquisition, the conducted studies have strengthened local capacities in developing new materials from waste. Overall, these investigations lay the groundwork for the development of materials as a sustainable alternative that can be used in environmentally friendly building contexts, contributing to the reduction of carbon footprint and enhancing thermal comfort.