Influence of Superabsorbent Polymers on Moisture Control in Building Interiors

Jan Fořt, Jan Kočí, Jaroslav Pokorný and Robert Černý
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Jan Fořt: Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, Okružní 517/10, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Jan Kočí: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Jaroslav Pokorný: Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, Okružní 517/10, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Robert Černý: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Moisture loads in building interiors are accompanied by a deterioration of the indoor air quality. Such a phenomenon may induce serious health risks for building inhabitants as well as degradation of furnishing. Unfortunately, the employment of additional heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) devices does not comply with the sustainability principle due to increased energy consumption, thus cannot be viewed as an efficient solution. This study deals with the use of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in cement-lime plasters, thus extends the current state of knowledge and outlines further possible development of novel moisture responsive plasters since lightweight aggregates do not provide the desired performance. To be specific, this paper contemplates the experimental analysis of novel plasters modified by 0.5, 1 and 1.5 wt. % of SAP to obtain input parameters for computational modeling. Based on the obtained outputs, the incorporation of SAP admixture resulted in a substantial increase in moisture transport properties including the water absorption coefficient and water vapor diffusion properties. The performed computational modeling revealed a considerable reduction of relative humidity fluctuations, thus mitigation of potential health issues associated with undesired moisture content in building interiors. Achieved results indicate that the SAP enhanced plasters have substantial passive moisture buffering performance and thus may contribute to the improvement of indoor air quality.

Keywords: plaster; relative humidity; superabsorbent polymer; moisture moderation; computational modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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