Thermal Performance Characterization of Recycled Textile-Based Materials for Building Insulation

This study reports the experimental investigation of the heat transfer properties of building panels obtained from the post-consume textile waste through an Airlay process in the framework of a research project for the valorization of textile waste in the building sector. The analyzed panels are based on a different kind of textile fabric (mostly polyester, mostly cotton or mixed) and have a different density (low, medium and high). The heat transfer properties were measured through the dynamic methodology of the hot disc, both in laboratory conditions and in a climatic chamber. A good thermal insulation performance was generally observed for all the panels. For a given kind of waste textile, the thermal conductivity was found to increase with density, so that the most performing panels are the low-density ones. Moreover, thermal conductivity was found to increase with relative humidity. For the same density and relative humidity, the thermal conductivity of the cotton-based panels is higher by 26{\%} on average compared to the polyester-based panels.