Assessing the sound insulation and thermal performance of a partition based on recycled materials as a sustainable retrofitting solution for buildings

Abstract

Global warming and carbon emissions force us to rethink the use of our resources in a circular way. Recycling of materials such as paper and bio-based products offers an economically viable and straightforward way to reuse waste products. In this paper, a lightweight partition based on cellulose and agro-industrial byproducts is evaluated in terms of their sound insulation and thermal performance. Various combinations were assessed using a vibro-acoustic method suited for beam samples, with bending stiffness determined from normal modes and sound transmission loss derived accordingly. Additionally, the acoustic transfer matrix elements were characterised based on the measurements, facilitating the subsequent design of multilayer partitions using inverse procedures. The thermal aspect was studied measuring the thermal conductivity of the samples. Comparative analyses with analytical models and prior literature were conducted to validate the findings. Sandwich partition exhibited the higher sound insulation performance and potentially greater thermal insulation compared to the homogenous material. Applications are oriented to develop sustainable partitions for the retrofitting of buildings.