Fique as a Sustainable Material and Thermal Insulation for Buildings: Study of Its Decomposition and Thermal Conductivity

Gabriel Fernando García Sánchez, Rolando Enrique Guzmán López and Roberto Alonso Gonzalez-Lezcano
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Gabriel Fernando García Sánchez: Grupo de Investigación en Energía y Medio Ambiente (GIEMA), School of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Industrial de Santander—UIS, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Rolando Enrique Guzmán López: Grupo de Investigación en Desarrollo Tecnológico, Mecatrónica Y Agroindustria (GIDETECHMA), Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana—UPB, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Roberto Alonso Gonzalez-Lezcano: Architecture and Design Department, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Campus Montepríncipe, Universidad San Pablo CEU, CEU Universities, Boadilla del Monte, 28668 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Buildings consume a large amount of energy during all stages of their life cycle. One of the most efficient ways to reduce their consumption is to use thermal insulation materials; however, these generally have negative effects on the environment and human health. Bio-insulations are presented as a good alternative solution to this problem, thus motivating the study of the properties of natural or recycled materials that could reduce energy consumption in buildings. Fique is a very important crop in Colombia. In order to contribute to our knowledge of the properties of its fibers as a thermal insulator, the measurement of its thermal conductivity is reported herein, employing equipment designed according to the ASTM C 177 standard and a kinetic study of its thermal decomposition from thermogravimetric data through the Coats–Redfern model-fitting method.

Keywords: thermal insulation; sustainable materials; fique; thermal conductivity; thermogravimetry; green architecture; thermogravimetry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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