Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Building Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jobe

Eco-friendly insulation material production with waste olive seeds,

ground PVC and wood chips
Hanifi Binici a,n, Orhan Aksogan b
a
Kahramanmaraş Sutcu Imam University Department of Civil Engineering, Kahramanmaraş 46100, Turkey
b
Toros University Department of Civil Engineering, Mersin 33140, Turkey

art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The waste of the olive oil production process has been a notably important pollution source in Medi-
Received 14 November 2015 terranean countries, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey. In recent years, the environmental impact of
Received in revised form this type of waste created a rich source, and researchers have been focusing on the treatment of olive oil
16 January 2016
mill waste. Furthermore, olive seed, waste PVC and wood chips are wastes that cause significant detri-
Accepted 26 January 2016
mental effects on the environment, following the production stage.
Available online 28 January 2016
In this study, insulation materials containing waste olive seeds, ground PVC, wood chips, plaster and
Keywords: epoxy were produced, and their properties were investigated. The unit weight, water absorption rate,
Olive seeds ultrasonic penetration velocity, thermal conductivity coefficient, compressive and flexure strengths
Unit weight
properties of the samples were determined. It can be seen from the results that most properties have
Insulation materials
improved with the addition of the additives,
Thermal conductivity coefficient
The unit weights of the samples and their thermal conductivity coefficients decreased, thanks to olive
seeds, PVC and wood chips. However, the decrease in the unit weight was accompanied by an increase in
the water absorption and a decrease in the flexural and compressive strengths of the samples, luckily
remaining at acceptable levels for the additive rates in the samples.
& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Petrochemicals (mainly polystyrene) and other materials obtained

Heating of buildings is a real energy cost problem of economy
both worldwide and in Turkey. Hence, research on the conserva-
tion of energy in this respect is of utmost importance. Due to the
foregoing reason, the thermal insulation of buildings and new
insulation materials of construction rendered research on [1].
Energy consumption in Turkey in the last 15 years increased by
100% and dependence on foreign sources increased from 51% to
74%. Hence, efficient use of energy is becoming a more important
issue every day. In this respect, in the Energy Efficiency Technol-
ogy Roadmap of the Turkish government, the development of
technologies for producing new generation materials and ele-
ments of construction to support the energy efficiency in buildings
and industry has been set as a target [2].
As many authors have shown in their studies, nowadays, waste
is of great importance. Making use of alternative wastes is in-
evitable due to the rapid depletion of natural resources [3].
n
Correspondence to: Department of Civil Engineering, Kahramanmaraş Sutcu
Imam University, Kahramanmaraş 46100, Turkey. Tel.: þ 90 344 2801660;
fax: þ90 344 2801602.
E-mail addresses: hbinici@ksu.edu.tr (H. Binici),
aksogan@cu.edu.tr (O. Aksogan).
from natural sources are processed with high energy consump-
tions (glass and rock wools) for the insulation of buildings. These
materials cause significant pollution on the environment, parti-
cularly, during the production when nonrenewable materials are
used and fossil energy is consumed. Also, during the disposal of
some materials, there are problems in reusing or recycling them at
the end of their original use. The researchers aiming at developing
thermal and acoustic insulating materials using natural or recycled
materials were encouraged to introduce the concept of “sustain-
ability” in building design. For example, hemp or wood fiber are
already being used commercially but they must be further im-
proved for being widely used, because their performance is similar
to the synthetic ones. Some others are only at an early stage of
being developed and are currently being studied [4].
Like other organic materials, sunflower stalk fibers have also
been used to produce insulation materials. There is a significant
amout of sunflower production in Turkey. After the production the
sunflower stem poses a serious pollution problem. Sunflower
stems are cleaned, burned or used for simple heating purposes,
causing serious environmental problems. To prevent this problem,
the present study proposes a useful way of using those waste
materials for the insulation of buildings [1].
The insulation materials sector in Turkey constitutes more than

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2016.01.008
2352-7102/& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 H. Binici, O. Aksogan / Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266
50% share of the petroleum-derived products. Widely used ones
are the extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) and expanded poly-
styrene foam (EPS). These products are not produced in Turkey
and are supplied by importing, causing an economic loss for the
country. Development of new generation materials will render
alternatives to the current domestic products and it is expected
that they do not cause the inconvenience observed in the in-
organic structures and existing products and, yet, are easily
applicable.
95% of the total worldwide olive and olive oil production occurs
in the Mediterranean countries, i.e., Greece, Italy, Spain, Syria,
Tunisia, and Turkey. During the production process of olive oil, a
significant number of olive seeds remain [5,6]. Olive seeds from
olive oil production and the solid waste, which consists of pulp
parts, compose 3–6% oil and 40–65% humidity in the process. Al-
though olive seeds were only used as a natural method of pre-
venting weed growth in old Roman times, it has many applications
today. Olive seeds are used as an additive and mixed with bitumen
for use in road construction. Although the calorific value of the
seed varies depending on the type of olive trees, soil structure,
feeders in the climate and soil, and oil production technology,
olive seeds provide great advantages as fuel [7–9]. This type of
waste can be used as a solid fuel and an additive for animal feed. In
addition, it is used in the preparation of composite fertilizers.
Previous studies have suggested that the seed, which is non-
phytotoxic and has organic material content, can be used in the
fields where the soil needs to be strengthened. Additionally, che-
micals such as lipase can be produced by fermentation [10,11].
Activated carbon, methanol, acetic acid and carbon have been
successfully obtained by distilling using the hydrolysis process.
The process of obtaining active carbons from bagasse has been
used widely in recent years. Environmentalists claim that this ef-
ficient approach can render the benefit of waste from olive oil
mills for cogeneration applications possible.
A 16 MW plant built in Spain uses 105 thousand tons of seeds
per year for fuel and satisfies the electricity demand of approxi-
mately 50 thousand homes [12]. In this facility, 0.8 kg seed is re-
quired as fuel to produce 1 kWh of electricity.
Since, the heating costs in winter and cooling costs in summer
are too high in Turkey, buildings are insulated to reduce these
costs. Approximately 40% of the energy in Turkey is consumed in
residences, 80% of which is for heating purposes. Therefore, var-
ious insulation materials are used in existing buildings in Turkey
[13,14].
The quantity of natural resources is decreasing because of the
increase of the world population. Natural resources can be pro-
tected by recycling. Additionally, material consumption can be
reduced and natural resources can be efficiently used when waste
is recycled. Therefore, recycling is important for the protection and
efficient use of natural resources [15]. In recent years, many waste
materials are widely used for various purposes in constructional
engineering [16–18].
Energy conservation has recently gained importance for many
economic and strategic reasons. For example, 40% of the total
consumed energy in the EU is consumed in the buildings, and half
of this energy is lost through the walls [19]. Recently, new building
materials and construction systems have provided many benefits
in terms of building characteristics and comfort. In this context,
the insulation of building walls is a new popular research subject
because proper insulation saves energy [20–25].
Previous studies have shown that the reuse of wastes is of
worldwide significant importance. This study intends to produce
an insulation material using olive seeds, ground PVC, and wood
shavings. With the method in this study, wastes can be reused,
which will help to create employment in mass production and
contribute to the national economy.
261
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
2.1.1. Olive seeds
The prominent oil production countries in the world are Spain,
Italy, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Argenti-
na, Syria and Jordan (Fig. 1). Turkey ranks first in the world in
edible-olive production and consumption, followed by Spain,
Greece and Italy. In addition, the olive oil production and con-
sumption per person ranks fourth. In Turkey, there are 83 million
olive trees on 8 million acres, and this figure increases yearly. In
the past two decades, the number of olive trees has tripled. The
olive pulp is 10–25% oil, and the seed is 25–50% oil. Olive seeds
were collected as waste from the olive mills in the City of Kahra-
manmaras, in the Southeastern Region of Turkey.
2.1.2. Wood chips
Wood chips are waste material from wood cutting in various
timber production facilities and factories (Fig. 1). World timber
production has decreased between the years of 2005 and 2009.
The production capacity decreased from 437 million cubic meters
in 2005 to 362 million cubic meters in 2009 [26]. The world's
largest timber manufacturer is the United States. In 2009, the
United States produced 61.9 million cubic meters of timber, fol-
lowed by Canada, China, Brazil and Germany [27]. Turkey, with its
5.8 million cubic meters production, is the thirteenth largest
producer among 166 countries in the world timber production and
has 1.6% share of the world production [28]. Wood chips used in
this study were obtained from the carpenters in the city.
2.1.3. Ground PVC
Plastic can be turned into fibers and used in the textile industry.
PVC material is used as an alternative to wood in window frames.
Thus, PVC usage reduces tree cutting and protects forests. Ad-
ditionally, PVC profiles do not require painting, whereas, wood
requires it several times, and PVC is much lighter than wood. In
this study, waste PVC was obtained from waste collection sites
(Fig. 1).
2.1.4. Plaster
Gypsum is a mineral whose chemical composition is calcium
sulfate. The type of calcium sulfate with two crystal-water mole-
cules is called gypsum (CaSO4 þ 2 H2O). Plaster crystals are found
in clay, marl, salt and spaces of plaster Mountains. It is found in
Anatolia, particularly the upper side of the Red River with rock salt
as large rocks. Two different plaster stone species can be obtained
using two processing methods. In this study, dehydrated gypsum
used in plaster works is used.
2.1.5. Epoxy
Epoxy is an adhesive chemical resin from the thermoset group.
It is notably resistant against water, acid and alkali, and it does not
lose its strength properties over time. Epoxy adhesive that is used
to fill cracks converts the discontinuous environment created by
the crack into continuity by smoothly connecting both sides of the
opening along the crack, preventing stress concentration.
2.2. Method
2.2.1. Production of insulation material
Waste PVC is ground up in the cement size in the grinding
machine and mixed with plaster and epoxy as binders. The sam-
ples produced are described by the volume mixing ratios and by
the weights of the samples in Table 1. Using the foregoing raw
materials, various samples were produced with different rates.
262 H. Binici, O. Aksogan / Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266

Fig. 1. Materials used.

Table 1 the samples was 10  10x2 cm. Then, mortar was poured into
Mix proportion (g). moulds, and 5 bars compressive force was applied for 2 min to
compact the mortar in the mould. After one day the samples were
Samples no Plaster Olive seeds Epoxy Wood chips Ground PVC Water
taken out of the molds. Then, after being cured for 2 days, the
NI 400 0 0 0 0 125 samples were dried in an oven at 110 °C. The production process is
N2 300 100 0 0 0 100 shown in Fig. 2. Eight different groups of samples were produced.
N3 200 200 0 0 0 75 Three samples were tested for each group and the average of the
N4 100 300 0 0 0 50
N5 0 50 175 100 200 0
three results was used for each property.
N6 0 100 150 100 150 0
N7 0 150 125 100 100 0 2.2.2. Experimental
N8 0 200 100 100 50 0 2.2.2.1. Unit weights and water absorption rates. The unit weights
and water absorption rates of the produced samples were de-
termined according to TS 2823 and ASTM C 67–03, respectively
Wood chips, being organic, are susceptible to corruptive bacteria [29].
that could evolve in the mixture. To overcome this problem, an
anti-bacterial agent was used. 2.2.2.2. Ultrasonic transmission velocity. The wave velocity was
For mixing the samples, ground olive seeds, PVC, and wood calculated after measuring the surface ultrasonic wavelength of
chips were placed in a mixer together with plaster or epoxy as the rays transmitted through the thickness of the sample (see
binder and mixed for 5 min. For the homogeneity of the mixes, Fig. 3).
while the mixer was turning the correct amount of water (Samples
made with plaster) was then sprayed on the mixes using an air 2.2.2.3. Thermal conductivity coefficient. The thermal conductivity
pump. Moisture content of the samples was 1,5% and the size of coefficient was found in accordance with ASTM C 1113- 90 [30]
 H. Binici, O. Aksogan / Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266
Fig. 2. Production scheme for the insulation materials.
Fig. 3. Ultrasonic transmission velocity meter.
Fig. 4. Termal conductivity meter.
using the Hot-Wire Method (see Fig. 4).
The testing system follows similar principles to the thermal
needle probe. However, the sensor sits on the surface of the spe-
cimen, and the line-source heat is propagated in only one direc-
tion. This method can be readily applied in situ, although a flat and
polished contact surface is required for sound coupling. The
measuring range of the data logger is 0.023–12 W/mK, accuracy is
75% reading value per reference plate, reproducibility is 10 to
263
200 °C, measuring time is standard 60 s, sensor is standard 60 s,
ambient condition is temperature: 5–35 °C, humidity: below 85%
RH, power source is AC 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz and power con-
sumption is 60 W. The calibration of the machine is done at reg-
ular intervals.
2.2.2.4. Compressive and flexure strengths. The compressive
strengths of the samples of 16  16  4 cm dimensions and the
flexure strengths of the samples of 3  3  4 cm dimensions were
found using a Diwick Roell Z010 Universal tester.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Unit weights and water absorption rates
The unit weights and water absorption rates of the samples are
given in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively. When the contribution rate of
the olive seeds increased, the unit weight of the sample decreased.
The PVC doped sample had the lowest unit weight. When the
amount of wood chips was fixed, the unit weights of the samples
decreased with an increase in the amount of olive seeds, probably
due to the interfacial gaps between the seeds and the paste. As
expected, the samples with lower unit weights had significantly
higher water absorption rates.
3.2. Ultrasonic penetration velocities
The ultrasonic penetration velocities of the samples are given
in Fig. 7. The olive seed and PVC doped samples with lower unit
weights had lower ultrasonic penetration velocities. Likewise, the
samples that were doped with olive seeds with a porous structure
264 H. Binici, O. Aksogan / Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266

1,5

Unite weight of samples (g/cm )

3
1,33 1,28
1,23
1,15 1,11 1,09 1,05
0,97
1

0,5

0
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
Samples

Fig. 5. Unit weights of the samples.

30
Water absorbtion of samples(%)

25
25 23
21
20 18
17
15
15 13
10
10

0
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
Samples

Fig. 6. Water absorption ratios of the samples.

0,05
Ultrasonic penetration speed of

0,04
0,035
samples (km/s)

0,031
0,03 0,027
0,022 0,023
0,019
0,02 0,017
0,015

0,01

0
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
Samples

Fig. 7. Ultrasonic penetration velocities of the samples.

Thermal conductivity cofficient of

0,15 0,145
samples.(w/mK)

0,0992 0,0981 0,0965

0,1
0,0866 0,0841
0,0742 0,0789

0,05

0
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
Samples

Fig. 8. Thermal conductivity coefficients of the samples.

 H. Binici, O. Aksogan / Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266
had lower ultrasonic penetration velocities. In these samples the
sound waves were damped due to the voids. There is a direct re-
lationship between the thermal conductivity coefficient and ul-
trasonic transmission properties of the samples. When one
quantity increases, the other also increases because these two
characteristics are both directly related to the void structure of the
material. When the amount of wood chips was fixed, the ultra-
sonic transmission velocity of the olive seed and PVC doped
samples decreased, i.e., the sound was fading in the material be-
cause of the porosity of the material. Similarly, the thermal con-
ductivity coefficients of these samples decreased.
The ultrasonic sound penetration velocity coefficient test was
conducted in accordance with ASTM C 597. The sound penetration
velocity has no direct relationship with the material strength [31].
The P-wave velocity of the material decreases with increasing
amount of voids. The ultrasonic sound velocity of the insulation
material made with ground PVC, wood chips and epoxy was found
to be 0.023–0.035 km/s. These values are quite low compared to
other building materials [32].
3.3. Thermal conductivity coefficients
The thermal conductivity coefficients of the samples are given
in Fig. 8. To identify a material as a thermal insulation material
according to Turkish and international standards, the thermal
conductivity coefficient (λ) must be less than 0.1 W/mK. Fig. 8
shows that all olive seed, PVC, wood chips and plaster doped
samples are acceptable as insulation materials. The microstructure
of these samples had many related or unrelated voids, as con-
firmed by their ultrasonic transmission with low ultrasonic pe-
netration velocities, which is a result of the sound waves being
absorbed while passing through the material. However, the sam-
ples that were produced with only plaster had higher ultrasonic
penetration velocities and thermal conductivity coefficients than
the other samples. Moreover, olive seeds, PVC grains, and plaster
are strongly related to one another. Hence, the thermal con-
ductivity coefficients were lower because of the air cavities be-
tween these materials and the ground PVC pulp. In general, the
thermal conductivity coefficients of the material increased with an
increase in its unit weight.
The low density of the samples led to lower heat transfer
coefficients. A high proportion of the materials used contain
empty space. At the same time, the material can absorb water due
to the materials used to retain water, and thus the water absorp-
tion value is expected to be higher. While the unit weight and the
thermal conductivity of sample N8 were lower than the others, its
water absorption rate was higher than them.
0,7
Compressive strength of samples
0,6
0,5
0,4
(MPa)
0,3
0,23
0,2
0,1
0
N1
265
3.4. Compressive and flexure strengths
The compressive and flexure strengths of the composites are
given in Figs. 9 and 10, respectively. The compressive strength
increased with an increase in the olive seed and PVC and wood
chips doping ratios because the PVC and wood chips formed the
main phase of the composite and the olive seeds stiffened it. The
compressive strengths of the samples with additives were about
2.48 times that of the reference sample. Generally, the olive-seed
and PVC and wood chips doped samples had higher flexure
strengths than the reference samples. This can be explained by the
olive seeds and wood chips acting as fibers. The flexure strengths
of the doped samples were 44% higher than that of the reference
sample. These results can be explained by the contribution of the
fibers in the composites to the flexural strength.
In fact, the samples with low unit weights and thermal con-
ductivity coefficients were expected to have low compressive
strength. In addition, the samples with only plaster had higher
flexure strengths than those with only epoxy. Despite some
strength wise relative weaknesses, the strength values obtained
are sufficient for an insulation material.
4. Conclusion
The following results were obtained from this study.
1. With the increase in olive seed ratio, the thermal conductivity
coefficients of the samples decreased. Some low thermal con-
ductivity coefficients were obtained in sample group N5. The
reason for this is the presence of more air gaps in the samples.
TS 805 EN 60155 requires a thermal conductivity coefficient of
lower than 0.1. Hence, all samples except the references are
appropriate to be used as insulation materials. As obtained in
the findings, the research materials, olive seeds, waste PVC, and
wood chips, are suitable as additives to be used together with
epoxy to produce insulation materials.
2. The olive seeds, waste PVC and wood chips doped samples had
lower unit weights, higher water absorption rates and lower
ultrasonic transmission velocities than the other samples.
3. The flexure and compressive strengths of all samples were
above the values required by the standards.
4. Olive seeds, waste PVC and wood chips doping made with
binder led to better thermal insulation than the references.
Finally, this study proves that an appropriate insulating mate-
rial can be produced using olive seeds, PVC, and wood chips. This
0,57
0,53
0,49
0,42
0,35
0,33
0,25
N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
Samples
Fig. 9. Compressive strengths of the samples.
266 H. Binici, O. Aksogan / Journal of Building Engineering 5 (2016) 260–266

0,1 0,097
0,091
0,083

Flexure strength of samples (MPa)

0,08
0,074
0,067
0,061
0,055

0,05

0
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 M8

Samples
Fig. 10. Flexure strengths of the samples.

insulation material is both economical and environment friendly,
i.e., reusing the foregoing waste will enhance the protection of the
ecological balance.
It should be noted that there must be an upper limit to the
percentages of those additives. Actually, an investigation is being
started by the authors on this issue, but probably will require a
longer period of experimental work (like 2 years) with the aim of
finding the optimum rates for the additives.
References
[1] H. Binici, O. Aksogan, C. Demihan, Mechanical, thermal and acoustical char-
acterizations of an insulation composite made of bio-based materials, Sustain.
Cities Soc. 20 (2016) 17–26.
[2] O. Keynakli, A review of the economical and optimum thermal in-
sulationthickness for building applications, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 16
(2012) 415–425.
[3] A. Korjenic, V. Petránek, J. Zach, J. Hroudová, Development andperformance
evaluation of natural thermal-insulation materials composed ofrenewable
resources, Energy Build. 43 (2011) 2518–2523.
[4] H.R. Kymalainen, A.M. Sjoberg, Flax and hemp fibres as raw materialsfor
thermal insulations, Build. Environ. 43 (2008) 1261–1269.
[5] I. Malevolti, Olive and Olive Oil Sub-Sector, FAO/Government of Italy Co-
operative Programme, Project GCP/SYR/006/ITA Assistance in Institutional
Strengthening and Agricultural Policy, Report, Damascus–Syria, August 1999,
69 p.
[6] G. Camarsa, H. Martin, LIFE Among the Olives Good Practice in Improving
Environmental Performance in the Olive Oil Sector, Office for Official Pub-
lications of the European Union, Luxembourg (2010), p. 56.
[7] T.M. Alkamis, M.M. Kablan, Olive cake as an energy source and catalyst for oil
shale production of energy and its impact on the environment, Energy Con-
vers. Manag. 40 (1999) 1863–1870.
[8] S. Arvelakis, E.G. Koukios, Physicochemical upgrading of agroresidues as
feedstocks for energy production via thermochemical conversion methods,
Biomass Bioenergy 22 (2002) 331–348.
[9] S. Arvelakis, H. Gehrmann, M. Beckmann, E.G. Koukios, Effect of leaching on
the ash behavior of olive residue during fluidized bed gasification, Biomass
Bioenergy 22 (2002) 55–69.
[10] S. Ramachandran, S.K. Singh, C. Larrochea, C.R. Soccol, A. Pandey, Oil cakes and
their biotechnological applications – a review, Bioresour. Technol. 98 (2007)
2000–2009.
[11] A. Paithankar, A. Rewatkar, Oil cakes as substrate for improved lipase pro-
duction in solid state fermentation, J. Pharm. Biol. Sci. 7 (2014) 31–38.
[12] B.M. Beer, Agribusiness handbook, Investment Centre Division FAO Viale delle
Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy, 2009, 65p.
[13] H. Binici, O. Aksogan, Engineering properties of insulation material made with
cotton waste and flyash, J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manag. 17 (2015) 157–162.
[14] A. Briga-Sa, N. Da Teixeira, J. Pinto, F. Caldeira, H. Varum, A. Paiva, Textile waste
as an alternative thermal insulation building material solution, Constr. Build.
Mater. 38 (2013) 155–160.
[15] L.R. Steiner, A.M. Bernardin, F. Pelisser, Effectiveness of ceramic tile polishing
residues as supplementary cementitious materials for cement mortars, Sus-
tain. Mater. Technol. 4 (2015) 30–35.
[16] E.E. Ikponmwosa, M.A. Salau, W.B. Kaigama, Evaluation of strength char-
acteristics of laterized concrete with corn cob ash (CCA) blended cement, in:
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Innovative Materials,
Structures and Technologies, IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and En-
gineering, 96, 2015, 012009.
[17] G. Marco, Jorge, B. de, Structural concrete with incorporation of coarse re-
cycled concrete and ceramic aggregates: durability performance, Mater. Struct.
42 (2009) 663–675.
[18] F. Asdrubali, F. D’Alessandro, S. Schiavoni, A review of unconventional sus-
tainable building insulation materials, Sustain. Mater. Technol. 4 (2015) 1–17.
[19] H. Binici, R. Gemci, O. Aksogan, H. Kaplan, Insulation properties of bricks made
with cotton and textile ash wastes, Int. J. Mater. Res. 101 (2010) 894–899.
[20] S. Nabajyoti, Jorge, B. de, Use of plastic waste as aggregate in cement mortar
and concrete preparation: a review, Constr. Build. Mater. 34 (2012) 385–401.
[21] X. Zhou, F. Zheng, H. Li, C. Lu, An environment-friendly thermal insulation
material from cotton stalk fibres, Energy Build. 42 (2010) 1070–1074.
[22] A. Patnaika, M. Mlando, M. Sudhakar, B. Anton, D.A. Rajesh, Thermal and
sound insulation materials from waste wool and recycled polyester fibers and
their biodegradation studies, Energy Build. 92 (2015) 161–169.
[23] H. Binici, M. Eken, M. Dolaz, O. Aksogan, M. Kara, An environmentally friendly
termal insulation material from sunflower stalk, textile waste and stubble fi-
bres, Constr. Build. Mater. 51 (2014) 24–33.
[24] Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the
Energy Performance of Buildings, Official Journal of the European Union, vol.
19, 2010, pp. 153–162.
[25] P. de Wilde, M. Voorden, Providing computational support for the election of
energy saving building components, Energy Build. 36 (2004) 749–758.
[26] P. Elias, Timber and pulp, union of concerned scientists: the root of the pro-
blem Chapter 7, Timber Pulp (2009) 1–15.
[27] B. David, J. McKeever, L. Howard, Solid wood timber products consumption in
major end uses in the United States, 1950–2009 A Technical Document Sup-
porting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment, United States Department of
Agriculture, General Technical Report FPL–GTR–199, September 2011, pp. 1–
25.
[28] E. Gavcar, U.S. Arslan, The business of timber industry, Agric. For. 23 (1999)
855–861.
[29] ASTM C. 67–03, Standard test methods for sampling and testing brick and
structural clay tile. Philadelphia, PA: American Society for Testing and Mate-
rials, 2003.
[30] ASTM C. 1113-90, Test Method for Thermal Conductivity of Refractories by Hot
Wire, 1990.
[31] R. Demirboga, I. Turkmen, M. Karakoc, Relationship between ultrasonic velo-
city and compressive strength for high-volume mineral-admixtured concrete,
Cement Concr. Res. 34 (2004) 2329–2336.
[32] H. Binici, H. Temiz, O. Aksoğan, A. Ulusoy, The engineering properties of fired
brick ıncorporating textile waste ash and basaltic pumice, J. Fac Eng. Archit.
Gazi Univ. 24 (2009) 485–498.