Effective reflectivity and heat generation in sucrose and PMMA mixtures

Recent efforts in the construction sector to develop panels made of agricultural waste and polymer mixtures are becoming more frequent. These panels are usually developed in pursuit of low embodied energy, biodegradability and energy efficiency. PMMA's transparency and structural advantages over other thermoplastics is making this material progressively more common in facades. While advances in PMMA's recyclability are under development, the process still presents multiple challenges regarding environmental efficiency and resulting structural integrity. It is important, therefore, to establish mixtures where PMMA's structural advantages are balanced with low carbon emission substrates, such as agricultural wastes. Typically, agricultural waste in architectural panels is used for structural reinforcement (i.e. fibers). However, agro-derived materials such as sucrose have additional and/or alternative potentials in construction applications. Sucrose's unique optical properties can be implemented for light and thermal control. Additionally, since the energy losses of buildings concentrate in the envelopes another major challenge of cladding substrates pertains to how the facade material can improve energy efficiency, i.e. acting as thermal mass while providing light transmission control avoiding conditions such as glare. Facade materials that can minimize environmental impact while supporting energy savings and appropriate natural light conditions bear strong potential for advancing sustainable building technologies. This analysis provides an expression for the overall reflectivity of combinations of sucrose and PMMA, as well as, estimates of the thermal heating rate, as a function of the relative volume fractions and material properties. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.