Thermal performance of building materials based on feather and polystyrene wastes

The development of composites using renewable resources has received attention of scientists over the last decade, with the aim of manufacturing environmentally friendly composites, reducing cost and the dependence on petroleum resources. This experimental study emphasizes the development of new cost-efficient composite based on feather/cotton nonwoven and polystyrene waste. The microstructure and thermal properties have been determined in each FPS material. Vacuum molding method was adopted for fabricating of the biocomposites with two contents of polystyrene matrix (30% and 50%). As a result, the morphological analysis revealed better compatibility and adhesion between the nonwoven and the polystyrene matrix. The manufactured composites showed an insulating character with thermal conductivity coefficient value of 35.95 and 33.85 mW / (m.K) respectively for the composite reinforced with 30 and 50% polystyrene. The origin of the variation of this property is due to densities and the percentage of the polystyrene matrix. The composites developed with polystyrene showed very high performance, combined with sufficient durability to be potential candidates for the development of new sustainable materials for the building sector.