A thermophysical investigation of the potential for the use of wastepaper for insulation building materials

Abstract

Several sectors produce more waste. Therefore, comprehensive steps are needed to ensure environmentally sustainable and economically feasible waste recovery. The main objective of the study was to investigate the potential of giving a second life to waste, which constitutes a heavy financial and environmental burden for the factories, by its valorisation in the manufacture of new materials such as insulation and energy-efficient construction materials. By a good choice of treatment and implementation methods, paper pulp waste was considered to be a raw material that can replace many synthetic products widely used in the construction field. The research aimed to characterise wastepaper for possible use as a raw material in composites for insulation in buildings. This was done with a drying treatment of the WP to eliminate the water content and analysed the chemical composition to ensure the absence of toxic elements where there might behuman contact. Analytical methods used were both physical and chemical such as granulometry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/EDX, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller and Fourier transform infrared. Finally, it was necessary to identify the thermal performance and microstructure for practical application.