Characterization of multifunctional panels from jute fibers for interior wall covering

Abstract Jute fibers are an important cash crop in the world with a series of advantages such as high-yield, low-cost and easy biodegradation, etc. They also exhibit high potentials for providing hygrothermal and acoustic functions due to inherent chemical composition and internal structure. In this paper, multifunctional panels made from jute fibers blended with polyester fibers were explored as a new kind of interior wall covering material beneficial for both building energy conservation and indoor comfort. The fabricated jute/polyester fiber-based panels (JPs) were characterized in terms of morphology, pore structure, surface chemistry and functional performance including thermal insulation, sound absorption and humidity control properties. The results showed that thermal insulation properties of JPs were comparable for commercial thermal insulators with thermal conductivities of 0.0372–0.0418 W/(m·K), superior to most natural thermal insulators. Sound absorptions mainly occurred in the middle to high frequencies, and noise reduction coefficients reached to the commercial level. It was found that the thermal and acoustic properties were significantly influenced by the density and thickness of JPs. Moreover, JPs exhibited good potential in humidity control with high 24 h desorption ratios of 79.87–96.61 %. The maximum 24 h absorption amount was 183.05 g/m2 under high-relative humidity (RH), approximately 3.1 times as much as the standard limit value. Meanwhile, the moisture absorption amount was largely dependent on the surface chemistry and pore structure of JPs as well as environment RH. In general, JPs could be commercially used as a promising interior wall covering material for improving building energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.