Evaluation of the thermo-physic, acoustic, and mechanical performance of innovative hydrochar-modified plasters

Abstract

This study investigates the integration of hydrochar, derived from municipal solid waste, into cement-lime-based plasters to enhance their thermo-acoustic and mechanical properties. The research begins by analyzing the thermo-physical properties of hydrochar, revealing its exceptional thermal stability exceeding 200 °C. The porous nature of hydrochar proves to be advantageous, positively impacting the thermal characteristics of the plasters. Notably, the innovative plaster exhibits a significant reduction in thermal conductivity, dropping from 1 Wm−2K−1 to approximately 0.7 Wm−2K−1. Despite a lower density of about 10% compared to the standard plaster, the hydrochar-modified plaster maintains good acoustic and mechanical performance. Transmission loss remains stable at 60 dB varying the thickness of the plaster while compressive and flexural strengths reduce by 2%, due to the higher percentage of water used (from 22% to 26%) to guarantee the same workability of the plasters and to distribute the hydrochar uniformly in the mix design.

Keywords

• Innovative plasters
• Hydrochar
• Thermo-acoustic properties
• TGA
• Activation energy
• Mechanical strength