An environmentally friendly thermal insulation material from sunflower stalk, textile waste and stubble fibres

Heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer are very high. Building insulation reduces heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer. Although sunflower production in Turkey is significant, after the production the sunflower stem is a serious problem for farmers. Sunflower stems are cleaned, burned or used for temporary heating purposes. This type of use is causing serious problems to the environment. Sunflower stalks and cotton textile waste, such as stubble, cause serious environmental problems. To circumvent this problem, the present study puts forth an advantageous use of those waste materials for insulation of buildings. In Turkey there are a lot of both of the aforementioned materials. As the binder for those two materials epoxy was used. As samples, 30 x 40 x 2.5 cm rectangular blocks were prepared under different pressures. The samples were tested for their mechanical properties and the coefficients of thermal conductivity, as well. The results obtained satisfied the Turkish Standard TS 805 EN 601. Thus, the method proposed in this study solves two industrial problems at the same time. A useful construction material is produced while some waste materials causing environmental problems are warded off. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.