Investigate the possibility of fabricating a banana fiber roof thermal insulation material

Abstract

With the economic development of society, demand for better living environment is increasing, which was caused by the increased consumption of energy [1]. The International Energy Agency report says that 32% of energy production in the world is consumed by buildings, mostly for heating or cooling system. Therefore, the need of installing passive insulation is increasing due to concern on the climate changes. The usage of thermal insulators in building roofs helps to decrease the heat loss or gain from the ambient climate [1]. Thermal insulation is the reduction of rate of heat transfer from one object to another by the influence of the specific method, shape, and materials. These insulation materials prevent the heat flow through conduction, convection, and radiation. The insulators are manufactured by using fiber glass, mineral wool fibers, expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS), etc. Its insulation capability is dependent on the thermal conductivity, density and thickness of the material used [1]. Due to the concern on environmental sustainability and healthy issues, researchers were started to concentrate on developing the insulation material using natural fiber. This research was concluded with finding superior thermal insulation property on cellulosic fiber material such as coconut coir, corn, sunflower stalk, straw, etc [1]. In the order of these natural insulation materials, banana fibers also show minimum thermal conductivity 0.0415 W/mK in 73.4 kg/m3 fiber density [2], [3]. Banana fibers have lower thermal conductivity and are within the required range 0.02W/mK to 0.06W/mK which is range of building thermal conductivity [2]. Banana cultivation is an important agricultural Sector in Sri Lanka. Approximately 50,000 hectares of agriculture land is used for banana cultivation and the yearly banana production in Sri Lanka is about 45,000 tones [4]. A significant amount of pseudo-stem biomass waste has been produced because of the rising acreage and output of bananas due to the expanding demand for them on the global market.[4]. In this research we are going to investigate the possibilities of using banana fibers coated by aluminum foil as roof insulator. Banana fiber and epoxy composite layer was prepared with varying fiber density. Thermal conductivity was tested for varying fiber density and Suitable composite fiber density was determined by testing result. Banana fiber epoxy composite was sandwiched between aluminum foil, which will work a radiant barrier on the surface of the composite. Aluminum foil has capability to reflect 97% heat by radiation