Thermal performance and life cycle assessment of corn cob particleboards

Abstract Corn cob is considered an agricultural bio-waste that can be reused and incorporated in the building industry as a thermal insulation material. However, more research is required to obtain a more detailed analysis in what concerns building materials' thermal performance using this waste as raw material and, consequently, their sustainability profile. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the thermal behaviour and the environmental impact of two different corn cob particleboards using two types of glue binders: Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA) and Fabricol AG222 (FAG222). An experimental study was performed to analyse the particleboards’ thermal performance, allowing the estimation of the thermal transmission coefficient . A sustainability analysis was carried out using a lifecycle assessment (LCA) tool according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The functional unit “mass of material required to provide a thermal resistance (R) of 1 m 2°C/W″ was considered for the calculation of the environmental impacts. The production and disposal phases (incineration and landfill) were considered. The results revealed that both corn cob particleboards have potential to be used as a sustainable building material for the thermal insulation of walls, considering the values obtained for the thermal performance parameters. Average values of 1.33 W/m2 °C and 0.052 W/m°C were achieved for the thermal transmission coefficient and thermal conductivity of the PVA particleboard. For FAG222, those values corresponded to 1.92 W/m 2°C and 0.087 W/m°C, showing similarities with the current insulation materials. Both options display environmentally friendly profiles, although the particleboard with PVA offers enhanced results when landfill is the preferred disposal method. This research work is thus a contribution to the scientific knowledge regarding the valorisation of agriculture wastes and by-products as potential eco-friendly building materials. Furthermore, applying this bio-waste as insulation material reveals a consistent path on circular economy.