Improving Building Acoustics with Coir Fiber Composites: Towards Sustainable Construction Systems

Luis Bravo-Moncayo, Virginia Puyana-Romero (), Miguel Chávez and Giuseppe Ciaburro
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Luis Bravo-Moncayo: Departamento de Ingeniería en Sonido y Acústica, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170516, Ecuador
Virginia Puyana-Romero: Departamento de Ingeniería en Sonido y Acústica, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170516, Ecuador
Miguel Chávez: Departamento de Ingeniería en Sonido y Acústica, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170516, Ecuador
Giuseppe Ciaburro: Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Facoltà di Ingegneria e Informatica, Università Pegaso, 80143 Napoli, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-24

Abstract: Studies underscore the significance of coir fibers as a sustainable building material. Based on these insights, this research aims to evaluate coir fiber composite panels of various thicknesses as eco-friendly sound absorbing alternatives to synthetic construction materials like rockwool and fiberglass, aligning its use with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Acoustic absorption was quantified with an impedance tube, and subsequent simulations compared the performance of coir composite panels with that of conventional materials, which constitutes an underexplored evaluation. Using 10 receiver points, the simulations reproduced the acoustic conditions of a multipurpose auditorium before and after the coir covering of parts of the rear and posterior walls. The results indicate that when coir coverings account for approximately 10% of the auditorium surface, reverberation times at 250, 500, 2000, and 4000 Hz are reduced by roughly 1 s. Furthermore, the outcomes reveal that early reflections occur more rapidly in the coir-enhanced model, while the values of the early decay time parameter decrease across all receiver points. Although the original configuration had poor speech clarity, the modified model achieved optimal values at all the measurement locations. These findings underscore the potential of coir fiber panels in enhancing acoustic performance while fostering sustainable construction practices.

Keywords: coir fiber panels; sustainable construction; acoustic absorption; reverberation time reduction; room acoustic indicators (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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