Evaluation of environmentally friendly sound absorption materials made from agricultural waste fibers

Abstract

Agriculture, the world’s largest industry, significantly contributes to the GDP of many developing countries, employing over a billion people and producing 1.3 trillion dollars’ worth of food annually. Despite its economic impact, agriculture generates a substantial 140 billion metric tons of waste globally, necessitating sustainable waste management to reduce CO2 emissions. Natural agricultural waste fibers like coconut fiber, groundnut shell, and sugarcane fiber are explored as eco-friendly alternatives for sound insulation to combat noise pollution. The research investigates their application as sustainable sound-absorbing materials, determining sound absorption coefficients based on the ISO 10534-2 standard. Results indicate coefficients ranging from 0.55 to 0.95 within the 160 Hz to 5000 Hz frequency range. Sugarcane fiber exhibited the most favorable coefficients, reaching 0.95 at 1600 Hz and 0.46 at 800 Hz, followed by coconut fiber with a range of 0.84 at 4000 Hz to 0.57 at 160 Hz. This research highlights the potential of agricultural waste fibers in addressing environmental concerns associated with agricultural waste while providing sustainable solutions for sound absorption.