Thermalbonded Hemp Fibre Insulation Materials

Abstract

This paper describes non-woven samples which were developed for thermal insulation, intended to be used in building industry, using fibres extracted from hemp grown and cultivated in Latvia - a local dioecious variety known as Purini and an ES registered monoecious industrial hemp variety known as Bialobrzeskie. The fibres were consolidated by thermal bonding. A small percentage of polyethylene/ polypropylene (PE-PP) fibres that could be melted at relatively low temperature were used as a binder. To mix hemp with PE-PP fibers were used carding method. Various material features of the thermal bonded composites were evaluated such as dimensional properties, thermal resistance and thermal conductivity, water vapour transmission, pore size distribution in order to assess their suitability as alternative insulation materials. The influence of hemp variety on fabric properties was also evaluated