Date Pits Based Nanomaterials For Thermal Insulation Applications - Towards Energy Efficient Buildings In Qatar

Abstract

Air-conditioning systems make the most significant part of energy consumption in the residential sector. There is no denying that it is essential to produce a comfortable indoor thermal environment for residents in a building. The actual goal is to achieve thermal comfort level without putting too much cost on the ecological system. An effective way to help achieve such a goal is by incorporating thermal insulation in buildings. Thermal insulations help reduce thermal energy gained during the implementation of a desired thermal comfort level. This project aims to study a new, environmentally friendly nanomaterial containing nanoparticle of date-pits to create thermal insulations. In addition, fly ash and different ratios of the nanoparticle of date pits and sand composite were investigated. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the new materials. The material with nanoparticle of date pits and 50% by-volume epoxy provide good thermal insulation with thermal conductivity of 0.26 !$"# that may be used in existing buildings. This has the potential to reduce the overall energy consumption by 4,494 %!ℎ and thereby to reduce '() emissions of a 570 ") house by 1.8 tons annually. The use of fly ash as an insulation material was not found to be as efficient compared to nanoparticle of date pits. In conclusion, the future of using nanoparticle of date pits in construction is bright and promising due to their promising initial results.