Characterization of an Arundo donax-based composite: A solution to improve indoor comfort

Hygroscopicity and Morphology of Bio-Based Boards—The Influence of the Formulation

“…Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) and hazelnut shells were selected as bio-aggregates, characterized, and prepared as described in past studies [29][30][31]. A. donax was harvested from the cultivation of the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, the University of Bologna, in Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna, Italy.…”

“…Hazelnut shells were provided by Raccolti di Cin, Baldissero d'Alba, Cuneo, Italy. Both were shredded to have grain sizes mainly between 4 mm and 8 mm and dried at T = 60 • C until reaching a constant mass (with a variation in mass of ≤0.1% after 24 h) [29,30].…”

“…Figure 1, adapted from the reference studies in [29][30][31], shows the particle size distributions of both bio-aggregates. A sodium silicate solution, Na2O•n(SiO2), provided by Ingessil Srl, Montorio, Verona, Italy, with a density of 1.471 g/mL, a sodium silicate concentration of 41.33% p/p, and pH (T = 20 °C) of 12.40, was employed as the adhesive, coherent with the reference studies [29,30].…”

“…The present work addresses the topic of materials' influence on the final performance of composite boards. In particular, this research study considered bio-based boards made of bio-aggregates, namely, hazelnut shells and giant reed (Arundo donax L.), bounded by a sodium silicate solution [29,30] (these two reference studies provided characterizations of the proposed composites, evaluating their physical and mechanical properties).…”

“…As hazelnut-shell-based and A. donax-based boards have demonstrated interesting hygroscopic behavior [29,30], which can be useful to passively contribute to indoor comfort [50], reducing energy consumption [51], the present study mainly considered this property. The contribution of each material was investigated by testing them individually and in composites.…”