Researchers have come up with a new, more eco-friendly and effective form of buildinginsulationmaterial. The new material was developed due to the shortcomings of the traditional polyurethane-based foam insulators. These traditional insulators harm the environment via the release of volatile compounds into the atmosphere.
A group ofengineers北德克萨斯大学的College of Engineering led the research. The engineers, led by Professor Nandika D’Souza of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have been working on the project since 2018. D’Souza’s lab earned a National Science Foundation grant worth $302,285 to help find a solution to the shortcomings of the conventional insulators.
After much research, the team revealed a new type of insulation material, which is less harmful to theenvironment. By mixing corn-based polylactic acid with cellulose, in combination with supercritical carbon-dioxide, researchers found they could create an environmentally friendly product. This type of insulator is not only safe but also combustible and decomposable.
“PLA on its own was good, but we found it wasn’t as strong as the conventional insulation, so we came up with the idea of mixing cellulose in,” D’Souza said. “Celluloseis a degradable fiber and is often found as a waste in the paper industry, so not only is it stronger, but also is cheaper and easier to come by.”
The team has already tested its new technology at the UNT Engineering Zero Energy Lab, a space designed to test alternativeenergygeneration technologies. With the technology already tested and proven in the lab, it only has to go through trials in the construction industry to determine its viability.
Kayode Oluwabunmi, one of the doctoral students in DSouza’s lab, says the undoing of conventional foam is its inability to break down once it’s no longer usable. This means the foam lingers in the environment. “The conventional foams are not environmentally-friendly and do not break down once they are no longer usable. They can stay in the environment for 1,000 years,” Oluwabunmi said.
Besides its ability to decompose, the new material is also long-lasting. It shares a similar lifespan with the conventional foam and allows a 12% increase inheating和冷却。换句话说,this material will help control energy flow better and with fewer risks.
+ The University of North Texas
Images via The University of North Texas
