Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33

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Construction and Building Materials

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An environmentally friendly thermal insulation material from sunflower

stalk, textile waste and stubble fibres
Hanifi Binici a,⇑, Mustafa Eken a, Mustafa Dolaz b, Orhan Aksogan c, Mehmet Kara a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras 46100, Turkey
b
Department of Environment Engineering, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras 46100, Turkey
c
Department of Civil Engineering, Toros University, Mersin 33140, Turkey

h i g h l i g h t s g r a p h i c a l a b s t r a c t

 Heating costs in winter and cooling

costs in summer is very high.
 To reduce heating and cooling costs
are building insulation.
 Sunflower production in Turkey
carried out a significant amount.
 This type of use is causing serious
problems in the environment.
 The use of waste materials to produce
a new insulation material.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer are very high. Building insulation reduces
Received 24 June 2013 heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer. Although sunflower production in Turkey
Received in revised form 7 October 2013 is significant, after the production the sunflower stem is a serious problem for farmers. Sunflower stems
Accepted 19 October 2013
are cleaned, burned or used for temporary heating purposes. This type of use is causing serious problems
Available online 15 November 2013
to the environment. Sunflower stalks and cotton textile waste, such as stubble, cause serious environ-
mental problems. To circumvent this problem, the present study puts forth an advantageous use of those
Keywords:
waste materials for insulation of buildings. In Turkey there are a lot of both of the aforementioned mate-
Sunflower stalk
Stubble
rials. As the binder for those two materials epoxy was used. As samples, 30  40  2.5 cm rectangular
Textile waste blocks were prepared under different pressures. The samples were tested for their mechanical properties
Insulation material 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.
Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Insulation materials in buildings have become widely used

⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 (344) 2801660; fax: +90 (344) 2801602.
E-mail addresses: hbinici@ksu.edu.tr (H. Binici), meken@ksu.edu.tr (M. Eken),
mdolaz@ksu.edu.tr (M. Dolaz), aksogan@cu.edu.tr (O. Aksogan), mehmetkara@
ksu.edu.tr (M. Kara).
since the beginning of the 20th century. The new building and con-
struction systems provide many benefits and some drawbacks in
terms of building physics and the conditions of comfort that
emerge as time passes. The exterior walls must be thin to prevent

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.10.038
 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33
Fig. 1. Cotton waste.
Table 1
Potential of agricultural waste in Turkey [14].
Agricultural residues Annual production (million tonnes)
Sunflower stalks 2.7
Wheat stalks 26.4
Barley grips 13.5
Corn stalks 4.2
Cotton stalk and cocoons 2.9
Sugar beet grips 2.3
Hazelnut shells 0.8
Oats grips 0.5
Rye grips 0.4
the load carrier system [1]. In recent years, energy resources have
rapidly decreased. Approximately 40% of the energy is spent on
buildings in Turkey [2]. Although the total energy consumption
per capita in the last 25 years has increased by 5%, this ratio has in-
creased by over 100% in Turkey [3] due to the energy consumption
to heat uninsulated houses with an average of 200 kW h/m2 per
year. Heating houses requires financial resources of 3.5 billion dol-
lars. Today, the cost of the energy required for the heating of
houses is estimated to be more than 4 billion dollars. The calcula-
tions made by the isolation of the entire building stock according
to the existing standards shows energy savings of over 2 billion
dollars per year. Therefore, the use of insulation materials has be-
come a necessity. The production of appropriate materials for insu-
lation materials is of great importance. Insulation materials are
usually produced from inorganic materials. In recent years, these
materials have been prohibited due to the suspicion of health risks
Thus, it is important to investigate organic-based insulation mate-
rials. Mengeloglu and Alma [4] studied intensive technological
developments and solved production problems with wheat stalks,
which led to the successful production of composite panels. Wheat
straw particle board and fibre boards have been found to be more
advantageous than others. In Turkey, there is a significant amount
of sunflower production. There are 2,500,000 tons of waste per
year in the form of sunflower stalks, which is a serious problem
for farmers growing sunflower stalks. Monika et al. [5] determined
the coefficients of thermal conductivity of composites obtained by
using natural fibres. The results for these composites are lower
than the heat transfer coefficients of artificial fibres, and they are
more economical, do not harm the environment, and have better
Fig. 2. Sunflower stalks.
25
O O
H2 N NH2
+ H H
O O O
H2N NH + NH NH + NH N CH2 OH
CH2 OH HOH 2C CH2 OH HOH 2 C CH2 OH
Fig. 3. Formation of mono-, di-, and trimethylolurea by the addition of formalde-
hyde to urea.
mechanical properties. However, the wheat stubble remaining in
the fields after harvesting is significant, and the environmental pol-
lution is caused by the incineration of waste [6].
Most of the farmers burn the stubble after harvest due to the
lack of economic value of wheat stalks. The burning stubble repre-
sents a loss of national wealth and destroys soil micro-flora in
addition to polluting the atmosphere. Approximately 40% of cereal
stubble fields in Turkey are burned every year and 10 million tons
of exposed stalks and straw disappears. As a result, the release of
smoke and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere causes global
warming. However, the use of lignocelluloses has a long history.
In ancient Egypt, adobe mud mixed with straw was used. In the
experimental studies, it was found to have a much lower coeffi-
cient of heat conduction than mud bricks [7].
Cristel et al. [8] changed the ratio of vegetable fibre in cement
composites. The vegetable fibres produced a slight decrease in the
thermal conductivity, and the mechanical strength of the compos-
ites increased. In addition, the use of more fibre composites can
reduce weight and reduce the coefficient of thermal conductivity.
Zhou et al. [9] manufactured an environmentally friendly heat
insulation material using a resin and cotton stalks. The cotton
stalk fibres created an insulation material that can compete with
others.
The thermal insulation properties of fabrics formed from natu-
ral and synthetic fibres are compared. Artificial fabrics composed
of cotton based fabrics that have a lower value than the corre-
sponding thermal conductivity, thermal absorption, and thermal
diffusion resistance were found in the study. In addition, the ther-
mal insulation characteristics of the type of weaving are effective
[10]. Briga-Sá et al. [11] investigated the feasibility of fabric waste
as a heat insulation material. It appears to be an adequate solution
as a possible heat insulation material to recycle these wastes, and
environmental sustainability and economic benefits may result
from these applications.
Binici et al. [12] studied a new insulating material produced by
light cotton waste and textile ash and investigated the properties
of the materials produced. In another study, cotton waste, fly
ash, and light building materials manufactured with epoxy resin
could be used as thermal and acoustic insulation materials [13].
As shown in previous studies, waste is of great importance in
our world now. The use of alternative waste due to the rapid
26 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33

Table 2
Chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the gypsum used.

Chemical properties Physical and mechanical properties

Specific gravity (g/cm3) Sieve analysis (%) Setting time (min) Compressive strength (MPa)
Residue on 0.2 mm Residue on 1.25 mm
CaSO41/2H2O 0.95 18 0.2 4 8.4

burning causes an enormous amount of soil, plant, and environmental damage.

Therefore, it reduces the soil fertility, and nutritional floras are destroyed. Soil ero-
Table 3 sion is caused by wind and flood. The natural balance is disturbed and will lead to
The weights of mixing parts. forest fires, where neighboring fields and gardens are sometimes burned. Among
Components (g) the other dangers of burning stubble is the burning of telephone poles and, even
worse, the reduction of the visibility of cars passing by, which causes fatal acci-
Gypsum Sunflower stalks Textile waste Water dents. The stubble used for this study was obtained from Elbistan.
1500 180 90 1450

2.1.2. Textile wastes

Turkey is ranked seventh in the world in terms of area sown for cotton, fourth
for cotton yield per unit area in terms of fibre obtained, sixth in terms of the amount
of production, fifth in consumption, and fourth in imports [12]. Turkey’s domestic
fibre consumption in the year 2004 was a total of 2.75 million tons. Textile wastes
were obtained in the factories in Kahramanmarasß.

2.1.3. Cotton wastes

The cotton waste obtained from the textile factories in Kahramanmaras was
used in this study (Fig. 1). Today, waste recycling is very important due to the max-
imum level of energy consumption. The potential of agricultural waste in Turkey is
Fig. 4. Insulation boards. shown in Table 1.

depletion of natural resources is inevitable. The aim of the present

study was to produce a new insulation material with a low heat
transfer coefficient using lighter waste materials.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
2.1.1. Stubble
Stubble a result of agricultural production and is cut from the remaining root
crops, soil, and deviation. In Turkey, approximately 40 million tons of wheat, barley,
and rye are produced. Thus, one million hectares are being cultivated in the area.
Here, approximately 10 million tons of stubble can be obtained and up to approx-
imately 128 million m3 of insulation material can be produced. The production of
insulating material can prevent contamination of the environment and recycle
stubbles. In this way, the atmosphere would receive approximately 2000 kg less
CO2. Given the hundreds of thousands of square metres of total area, the amount
of CO2 created by the burning of stubble should not be underestimated. Stubble
2.1.4. Sunflower stalks
The sunflower production in Turkey in 2012 was 1.37 million tons. During the
production of a ton, approximately 1.4 tons of sunflower seeds and sunflower stalks
are grown, which means that approximately 8.8 million m3 of insulation material
can be produced from the sunflower stem. The amount of insulating material
needed by the country is 5 million m3, and the remaining amount can be offered
to foreign markets. Sunflower stalk that emerges after production is a serious prob-
lem for farmers (Fig. 2). The stems from the field are usually burnt, which is dam-
aging to the environment and causes economic loss to the country as well.
2.1.5. Urea–formaldehyde adhesive resins
Urea–formaldehyde resins are formed by the reaction of urea and formalde-
hyde. The overall reaction of urea with formaldehyde is quite complex and,
although initially studied early in this century, is not completely understood at
the present time [15]. The synthesis of a urea–formaldehyde resin occurs in two
stages. In the first stage, urea is hydroxymethylolated by the addition of formalde-
hyde to the amino groups (Fig. 3). This reaction is in reality a series of reactions that
leads to the formation of mono-, di-, and trimethylolureas [16].

Fig. 5. Application of insulation material panels on the brick wall.

 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33 27

Table 4
Mixing ratio by volume.

Samples Sample content (%) Epoxy % Pressure (bar)

Sponge portion of the sunflower stem Sunflower stalk fibres Cotton waste Textile waste Stubble
A 33.85 35.38 7.69 23.08 10
B 43.08 33.85 23.08 10
C 40.00 36.92 23.08 10
D 15.79 31.58 21.05 31.58 10
E 38.46 38.46 23.08 10
F 31.58 42.11 26.32 10
G 20.00 30.00 20.00 30.00 9
H 24.15 24.15 15.46 36.23 9
J 23.53 23.53 52.94 9
K 71.88 28.13 9
L 56.16 43.84 9
M 77.42 22.58 8
N 25.00 25.00 50.00 8
O 70.00 30.00 8
P 33.33 16.67 16.67 33.33 8
R 40.00 20.00 40.00 8
S 33.33 16.67 16.67 33.33 8
T 33.33 33.33 33.33 8
U 35.21 8.45 28.17 28.17 6
V 39.47 7.89 26.32 26.32 6
Y 35.29 35.29 29.41 6
Z 36.36 36.36 27.27 4
N1 37.04 7.41 24.69 30.86 6
B1 10.53 71.93 17.54 6
U1 33.78 5.41 33.78 27.03 6
S1 33.33 16.67 16.67 33.33 7
Z1 39.22 31.37 29.41 6
N2 51.02 8.16 40.82 6
Z2 46.15 30.77 23.08 7
S2 30 8 12 20 7
U2 31.75 12.70 23.81 31.75 7
N3 32.14 10.71 21.43 35.71 5
U3 7.69 3.08 4.62 6.15 7
Z3 9.23 6.15 6.15 7
S3 9.23 2.46 4.62 6.15 7
N4 9.23 1.85 6.15 6.15 7
U4 7.69 3.08 4.62 6.15 7
Z4 9.23 6.15 6.15 7
S4 9.23 2.46 4.62 6.15 8
U5 7.69 3.08 4.62 6.15 8
N5 9.23 1.54 6.15 6.15 8
N6 9.23 1.54 7.69 6.15 7

Note: 1 bar = 0.0197 kg/cm2.

The addition of formaldehyde to urea occurs over the entire pH range. The reac-
tion rate is dependent on the pH. The rate for the addition of formaldehyde to suc-
cessively form one, two, and three methylol groups has been estimated to be at the
ratio of 9:3:1 [15]. The exact ratio, of course, is dependent on the reaction condi-
tions employed in the addition reaction. The second stage of urea–formaldehyde re-
sin synthesis consists of the condensation of the methylolureas to low molecular
weight polymers. The rate at which these condensation reactions occur is very
dependent on the pH and, for all practical purposes, occurs only at acidic pHs.
2.1.6. Plaster
The chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the plaster used in the
study are given in Table 2.
2.2. Method
2.2.1. Insulation boards manufactured with plaster as a binder
The grinding machine was used for the agriculture and textile wastes, which
were ground in a mixture of sunflower stalks. These materials were used with plas-
ter as a binder. The mixing ratio of the insulation material is given in Table 3. Insu-
lation boards that were 30  40  2.5 cm in size were attached to the wall panels
in Figs. 4 and 5. These tests were applied to walls only. The sound and thermal insu-
lation values of the rooms were measured. These rooms were located next to iso-
lated and untreated identical rooms, and other rooms were created with the
same points. Acoustic measurements of sound insulation in industrial buildings
made with fibre reinforced mud bricks, concrete bricks and red bricks were per-
formed according to the EN TS 415 [16]. The foregoing standard specifies field
methods for measuring the airborne sound insulation properties of interier walls
between two rooms [17]. Sound absorption coefficients of the samples were mea-
sured under the same humidity conditions. The relative humidity was 40% and
the frequency of the sound was 800 Hz1/3 octave filters were used [13].
2.2.2. Insulation materials made with epoxy binder
The fibre insulation material was produced with sunflower stalks, cotton waste,
and textile waste fibre and epoxy as binder materials. Using these raw materials,
various samples were produced at different rates and under different pressures.
Moisture content of samples was 0.15% and the size of the samples was 20
 20 cm. The samples produced are described by the volume mixing ratios and
by the weight of the samples in Table 4 in Table 5, respectively.
The reason for the trial was to determine the heat transfer coefficient, which re-
quired a large amount of material in the mixture and a wide range of pressures.
Initially, A, B, C, . . . Z attempts were made. Then, the heat transfer coefficient
experiments focused on examples smaller than 0.1.
The insulation material used in the production of the raw materials, the sun-
flower stalk fibre, the sunflower stalks, the stubble, the cotton waste, and the textile
fibre waste, are given in Figs. 6 and 7.
The heat insulating blocks were 14  16  2 cm in size. The production scheme
of the insulation material is given in Fig. 8. Each layer of insulating material was
made separately and remained under pressure for optimum compaction (Fig. 9).
The difference between the pH profiles of the two stages of urea–formaldehyde
resin synthesis is used to advantage in the production of urea–formaldehyde adhe-
sive resins. In general, the commercial production of urea–formaldehyde adhesive
resins is performed in two major steps. The first step consists of the formation of
methylolureas by the reaction of urea and formaldehyde under basic conditions
with a pH of 8–9. This step is performed under basic conditions to allow the meth-
ylolation reactions to proceed in the absence of reactions involving the condensa-
tion of the methylolureas. In the second step, the reaction mixture is brought to
28 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33

Table 5
Mixing ratio by weight.

Samples Sample content (%) Epoxy % Pressure (bar)

Sunflower stem Sunflower stalk fibres Cotton waste Textile waste Stubble (%)
A 110 115 25 75 10
B 140 110 75 10
C 130 120 75 10
D 37.5 75 50 75 10
E 125 125 75 10
F 150 200 75 10
G 50 75 50 75 9
H 50 50 32 75 9
J 20 20 45 9
K 115 45 9
L 41 32 9
M 120 35 8
N 15 15 30 8
O 70 30 8
P 30 15 15 30 8
R 30 15 30 8
S 30 15 15 30 8
T 30 30 30 8
U 25 6 20 20 6
V 30 6 20 20 6
Y 30 30 25 6
Z 20 20 15 4
N1 30 6 20 25 6
B1 12 82 20 6
U1 25 4 25 20 6
S1 20 10 10 20 7
Z1 20 16 15 6
N2 25 4 20 6
Z2 30 20 15 7
S2 30 8 12 20 7
U2 20 8 15 20 7
N3 18 6 12 20 5
U3 25 10 15 20 7
Z3 30 20 20 7
S3 30 8 15 20 7
N4 30 6 20 20 7
U4 25 10 15 20 7
Z4 30 20 20 7
S4 30 8 15 20 8
U5 25 10 15 20 8
N5 30 5 20 20 8
N6 30 5 25 20 7

Fig. 6. Sunflower stalk and stubble.

the acid side, with a pH of approximately 5, and the condensation reactions are
performed until a desired viscosity is reached. Then, the reaction mixture is cooled
and neutralised. Water is removed by vacuum distillation to give a resin with the
desired solids content (typically approximately 60–65%). Urea is often added in
two, or sometimes more, steps. The initial addition of urea is made during the
methylolation step, in which the formaldehyde-to-urea (F/U) ratio is typically large
(1.6–2). Usually, the second addition of urea is made during the condensation
step. The second and any subsequent additions of urea lower the final F/U ratio
to the desired level. These procedures for the synthesis of urea–formaldehyde adhe-
sive resins offer a wide range of conditions, which make possible the synthesis of
 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33 29

Fig. 7. Cotton and textile wastes.

Fig. 8. Production scheme for the epoxy resin insulation material.

resins with important properties such as tack, gel time, and spreadability for the un-
cured resin. The formaldehyde emissions and the durability of the cured resin can
be controlled and specifically tailored for the final end use of the resin [18].
2.2.3. Thermal conductivity coefficients
The thermal conductivity coefficients of the insulation material were measured
with a QTM-500 according to ASTM C 1113-90.
2.2.4. Ultrasonic sound penetration velocity coefficient
There is a specific relationship between the wave speed and the density of the
materials. When the amount of space inside the material increases, the ultrasonic
sound penetration velocity coefficient decreases.
The time it took for a sound wave at one surface of the material to reach the
other surface was measured and the wave speed was calculated as follows:
V ¼ ðS=tÞ  106 ð1Þ
30 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33

3.1. Gypsum as a binder in insulation materials produced in the

experiments

3.1.1. Thermal conductivity coefficients

The thermal conductivity coefficient of the insulation material
which was made with sunflower stalk fibres, the spongy parts of
sunflower stalks, cotton waste, textile waste, stubble fibres, and
epoxy was 0.1642 W/mK. Although the value of the coefficient of
thermal conductivity is lower than that of many building materials,
the value is not smaller than 0.1, below which a material is not an
insulation material according to TS 805 EN 60155.

3.1.2. Water absorption and unit weight values

The unit weight and water absorption values of the insulation
material were found to be 0.72 (kg/m3) and 71 (%), respectively.

3.1.3. Ultrasonic sound penetration velocity coefficient

Fig. 9. Stages of production of epoxy resin insulation material.
where V = wave velocity (kilometres/second); S = surface of the material used to
send the supersonic wave, the distance between the surface, and the wave (kilome-
tres); and t = P wave sent to the surface of the material and detected on the surface
(microseconds). Sound insulation should be definitely considered while a building is
constructed. Materials having high sound insulating properties should be chosen
while determining construction materials such as; wall, covering, ceiling and win-
dow. Thus sounds coming from upstairs, downstairs and neighboring walls are ob-
structed. Noise is an important problem and it is considered as environmental
pollution besides it causes lots of health problems whose reasons are not easily diag-
nosed. Therefore sound insulation is essential for clear environment and healthy
people. Thus, ultrasonic sound and the audio switching speed of the transition were
found for all samples [13].
2.2.5. Compressive and flexural strength
The compressive strength of samples which were 12  12  2 cm in size and the
bending strength of the samples which were 2.5  2.5 cm in size were determined
by a Diwick Roell Z010 Universal testing machine. Bending strengths of hardened
plastic concrete specimens were measured with two-point bending test device.
3. Results and discussion
In this study, tests were performed on mixtures used as a binder
in plaster and epoxy.
The ultrasonic sound penetration velocity coefficient test was con-
ducted in accordance with ASTM C 597. The material passes through
the P-wave speed, and there is no direct relationship with the material
strength [19]. The P-wave velocity of the material decreases with an
increasing amount of space. The ultrasonic sound velocity of the insu-
lation material made with sunflower stalk fibres, the spongy part of
sunflower stalks, cotton waste, textile fibre waste, stubble and epoxy
was 0.9 km/s. This value is quite low compared to other building mate-
rials. For example, this value is 1.6 1 km/s for brick.
3.1.4. The test results for the sound conductivity for offices with and
without insulation panels
The thermal insulation panels in Fig. 4 were applied in a room
with dimensions 4  4  3 m and heating–cooling values obtained
are given in Table 6. From the test result, 60 dB noise measurements
were made. A typical conversation occurs at 60 dB – not loud en-
ough to cause discomfort. Speech comprehension can be disturbed
at levels over 60 dB. Thus people are working under normal level
sound. In the walls of these buildings the use of this material does
not cause health problems. The sound insulation of building parts,
such as walls, roofs, and doors, reduces the rate of noise in the
buildings and is very important. There are many different methods

Table 6
Heating–cooling temperatures and sound intensity measurements in offices with/without insulation panels.

Offices tested Sound intensity Heating temperature (°C) Cooling temperature (°C)
measurement values
Room Temp. after Total heating Room Temp. after Total cooling
(dB)
temp. 60 min of temp. temp. 60 min of temp. after
heating cooling 60 min
Offices with thermal insulation 45 15 76 51 72 61 11
Offices without thermal 56 15 54 39 70 37 33
insulation

Fig. 10. Thermal conductivity coefficients of samples.

 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33 31

Fig. 11. Cross-sectional view of the sample groups.

Fig. 12. Some of insulating materials produced.

to measure sound insulation [20,21]. In this study, the noise insula-
tion of buildings was investigated. In small cities and districts in
Turkey, many small office structures are made as a type project
(Fig. 5). In these buildings, people work under different levels of
sound. The use of briquettes in the walls of these buildings
generally causes serious health problems. Therefore, this section
of the experimental study showed that using various ingredients
in insulation materials decreases the effect of noise on workers in
this type of building (Table 6). According to Table 6, the office with
insulation panels had a temperature increase of over 25% with
32 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33
Table 7
The unit weight and the water absorption values of the samples.
Physical properties Samples
Z U N S
Unit weight (g/cm3) 0.099 0.150 0.136 0.187
Water absorption (%) 56.6 59.7 67.2 65.2
heating above that of the office without insulation. A loss of as little
as one-third of the temperature change during the cool-down was
observed. These results are very important for energy consumption.
3.2. Insulation materials made with epoxy binder
3.2.1. Thermal conductivity coefficients
The thermal conductivity coefficients of the samples were ob-
tained (Fig. 10). The thermal conductivity coefficient of sample A
was the highest. The lowest thermal conductivity coefficient was
obtained for sample Z2 because of the content of the material
used, the pressure applied to the materials and the porosity. Gen-
erally, samples having sunflower stalk with cottony tissue had
low heat transfer coefficients. Examples of heat transmission
coefficients of less than 0.1 are the S, N, P, and Z samples. There-
fore, to study their structure, the compression ratio and the
amount of binder was varied and a much smaller heat transfer
coefficient was obtained in these samples. As shown in Fig. 9,
the sample with the lowest coefficient of conductivity,
0.0728 W/mK, was the Z2 sample. To reduce the overall heat
transfer coefficient of the foam handle portion, sunflower, and
cotton wastes were mixed in different proportions. The sunflower
stem portion of the volume of the foam has a great amount of
space, and empty volumes render a low coefficient of thermal
conductivity possible. Some insulating materials produced are
shown in cross-section views in Figs. 11 and 12.
Table 7 shows the high unit volume weight of sample S and
sample Z has the lowest weight per unit volume. This situation
is explained by the increase in weight per unit volume with
the amount of insulation material content. The low density of
the samples led to lower heat transfer coefficients. A high pro-
portion of the materials used contain empty space. At the same
time, the material can absorb water due to the materials used
to retain water, and thus the water absorption value is expected
to be higher. The vacancy rate in the most effective sample, the
unit weight and the heat transmission coefficient were naturally
higher in the Z2 sample, which had the lowest water absorption
rate.
3.2.2. Compressive and flexural strength
The compressive and flexural strengths of the samples with
thermal insulation values lower than 0.1 are given in Table 8.
Fig. 13. Ultrasonic sound penetration velocities of the samples.
Table 8
Compressive and flexural strengths of some samples (MPa).
Strength Samples
Z U N S
Compressive 0.283 0.291 0.303 0.312
Flexural 0.09 0.06 0.07 0.08
The insulation materials derived from waste materials showed
low compressive strength due to their high porosity. Sample S
gives the highest compressive strength. The compressive strength
of each material with a high flexural strength is not expected to
be likewise higher because the flexural strength values are very
close to each other.
3.2.3. Sound insulation properties
The insulation boards were found to improve the sound insula-
tion performance of walls (Fig. 13). Moreover, the boards building
has been found to be superior to the one made with gypsum, stub-
ble and textile wastes in this respect. This is most probably due to
the high porosity of the stubble. Finally, it can be concluded that
the proposed insulation boards, with gypsum, stubble and textile
wastes as ingredients, can be used in industrial buildings for walls
to improve sound insulation.
4. Conclusions
The results of the study are given below.
1. In the houses, in which the panels made with gypsum, were
applied, the heating period was shorter and the cooling period
was longer compared to those of the houses in which those
panels were not used.
2. Sunflower stem and gypsum blocks made with binder led to
better thermal insulation in homes. According to the reference,
the house heating temperatures of these houses was higher
than during the same period of cold, which is considered to
be important in terms of heating costs.
3. When the pressure is increased, the heat transfer coefficients
and the unit weight increase also the thermal conductivity coef-
ficients of the materials depended on the fibre state, the amount
of epoxy and especially the pressure ratio. The optimum com-
pression value was 7 bars.
4. Examples of low heat transfer coefficients were obtained in
group Z. The reason is the presence of more air gaps in the sam-
ples. TS 805 EN 60155 requires a thermal conductivity coeffi-
cient of lower than 0.1. In this case, N, S, P, and Z can be used
as insulating materials. When the press increased, a portion of
the linker escaped from the connector in the moulds and the
ratio with the binder decreased. As described in the findings,
 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials 51 (2014) 24–33
the research materials selected the sunflower stalks, the cotton
waste, show that it is possible to produce insulation materials
that are sufficient to mix with epoxy.
Finally, the most important result of this study is that waste
materials, which cause environmental pollution is prevented, and
a satisfactory insulation material is produced entirely of organic
origin. The product is a candidate to be commercialized in the
future.
Acknowledgement
This study was supported by Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam Uni-
versity Scientific Research Projects Department with the project
number 2012/4-13 M.
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