Development of sustainable and functionalized inorganic binder-biofiber composites (11861)

Project nummer: 11861

Omschrijving van het onderzoek

The chemical and physical interaction of inorganic binder and lignocellulose fiber is crucial for the optimization of traditional cement wood composites (CWC) and related products, but current models of the assessing and predicting their interaction are still in their infancy. A considerable improvement in approach is the main objective of the current project.
In the current project, first the chemical interaction of inorganic binder (commonly ordinary Portland cement, OPC) and wood/biofiber will be studied. The effective hydration of the cement will be assessed by making use of the information provided by the so-called non-evaporable water (chemically bound water) and characteristic water/extractives release by biofiber, and the effect of mechanical and chemical treatment on their interaction is studied. The collected fundamental information and the multiscale microstructure modelling will be used to substitute OPC by quicklime (produced from shells of marine animals, a renewable source), blast furnace slag cement, fly ashes and other by-products, which will improve the environmental performance of CWC. Furthermore, the potential substitution of (soft-) wood wool by waste-wood and fibrous agro-residue as "biofiber" is explored.
Next, the mineral and natural ingredients of CWC, grains and fibers, are physically combined by using a sophisticated mix design tool that has been developed for designing mortar and concrete. In the current project, fundamental knowledge on the packing of particles and fibers is developed, which will subsequently be incorporated in the mix design tool. Mixes are designed and tested, based on the size distribution of the ingredients, as well as considering their expected chemical interaction.
Another opportunity for enhancing CWC sustainability and performance is to introduce additional functions (functional CWC). Owing to its structure, the composite product is extremely suitable to serve as carrier substrate for photo-catalytically active powders, which purify the air under the influence of light. Functionalized CWC will be tested on lab scale using a state-of the-art set-up, and subsequently tested on full scale in an office room. The photo-catalytic efficiency will be measured and modelled using CFD.
It is expected that the proposed research will result in suitable engineering tool for a quick scan of suitable combinations and recipes, and a reliable prediction of product properties.

Gebruikers

No user committee has been installed, yet.

Projectleider

Prof.dr.ir. H.J.H. Brouwers
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
Faculteit Bouwkunde
Postbus 513
5600 MB EINDHOVEN

Status van het project

Starting date:	This project has not yet started
End date:

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Sitemap | Voorbehoud | Gewijzigd 14-4-2011