Preparation of Thermal Insulation Panels from Coconut Husk

Abstract

In the Caribbean region, the coconut shell is an inexhaustible waste that presents uncoordinated management due to the absence of waste treatment protocols. In such a way, this work seeks to generate an alternative that can provide its reuse, taking into account aspects of the social, economic, and ecological field. This was proposed to make thermal insulation plates from coconut fiber using polylactic acid (PLA) as a binder. For this, the result of two different treatments on the coconut fiber was enhanced: acetosolve and acetone excerpt, to compare it with the untreated fibers. To make the laminas, it was used the fibers compressed at 14.7 KN and 186 °C, characterized by their thermal conductivities. Afterward, a reinforcement with PLA was carried out and the resistance in tensile tests was analyzed. The results obtained showed that the thermal conductivity of the sheets was: 0.1330 W/m°C acetosolve, 0.0792 W/m°C acetone extraction, 0.0332 W/m°C without treatment and 0.0693 W /m °C without PLA treatment. While analyzing the tensile strength, a value of 290.33 ± 48.73 N was obtained. From the integration of the results, it´s concluded that the most practical method for obtaining a thermal insulator is to use the fiber without treatment, as well as PLA as a binder is functional to improve the mechanical properties.