BIO-BASED CELLULOSE-BIOCHAR-PEG CRYOGELS FOR THERMAL INSULATION

Abstract

Unbleached cellulose from Pinus elliotti and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used for the manufacturing of bio-based cellulose-biochar-PEG cryogels. The cryogels were prepared by the sol-gel method, where biochar was added to a cellulose/PEG suspension, and subsequently freeze-dried. Also, biochar from poultry little waste was employed as reinforcement, aiming to increase mechanical and thermal properties. The main resuls showed that, for cryogels with biochar (5.0 wt% in relation to cellulose) and PEG (5.0 wt% in relation to the cryogels mass), an increase of the compressive strength by about 30% was achieved. The thermal conductivity of the same samples with biochar reached similar results (0.041 W m-1.K-1). Therefore, the produced material has potential to be applied as thermal insulator as an environmentally friendly alternative, with the properties that meet the requirements for traditional thermal insulators.