Document Type
Conference Paper
Disciplines
Climatic research, Architecture engineering, Construction engineering, Materials engineering, Composites, Biomaterials, Biomaterials, Agricultural biotechnology and food biotechnology
Abstract
Construction and built environment sectors account for approximately 37% of Ireland’s carbon emissions. Of this 37%, 14% of the emissions consist of embodied carbon emissions from the construction materials from the production to the end-of-disposal of buildings. The construction industry can reduce its embodied carbon by using materials with a lower embodied carbon. Hemp fibre batt insulation is an example of a bio-based material and a lower embodied carbon alternative to conventional insulations. The existing hemp fibre batt insulation is typically composed of hemp fibres with a polyester binder. These polyester binders have higher embodied carbon while also being a non-biodegradable material which has negative implications the end-of-life disposal. There is a lack of knowledge on how hemp fibres can be used independently as a loose-fill insulation. In this research, loose hemp fibre insulation specimens with varying fibre density were produced using locally grown Irish hemp. The effect of density, fibre orientation and fibre length on thermal performance was investigated using the hot box test procedure. The obtained test results were validated against polyisocyanurate insulation. These test results indicated how hemp fibre insulation in a loose state should be installed within a loose-fill insulation system to optimise thermal performance.
Recommended Citation
Markey, Killian; Mehra, Sameer Dr.; Palmer, David; Knight, David; and O'Leary, Timothy, "An Investigation of the Physical and Thermal Properties of Irish Hemp Fibres as a Loose-Fill Insulation Product" (2024). Conference papers. 24.
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/diraacon/24
Funder
Conference Fee paid by School of Architecture, Building and Environment (SABE), Technological University Dublin
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Publication Details
https://www.gmit.ie/icat-2024#:~:text=About%20ICAT&text=As%20a%20means%20to%20encourage,2024%20is%20the%20tenth%20Congress.
Conference Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Architectural Technology (ICAT 2024) - Architectural Technology Transformation held in Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland.