The suitability of using environmental waste (polystyrene foam, sawdust and eggshells) for developing a hybrid composite for ceiling boards

Abstract

This study considers the suitability of using environmental wastes (polystyrene foam, sawdust and eggshell) for the development of composite materials for ceiling boards. The materials were collected from dumping sites and processed accordingly. The elemental compositions of the processed sawdust and eggshell were examined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (ASS) and plasma-optical emission spectrometer (Optimal 3100XL Perkin Elmer) respectively. Properties of the composite samples were determined using appropriate ASTM standards (ASTM D570, C109-95, D3479, E1530 and D7336/D7336M). The results show that the composite with a mix ratio of 5% Polystyrene, 10% sawdust and 40% eggshell exhibited the most suitable properties for ceiling board production or indoor uses in building: water absorption (0.52 and 6.17% for 2 and 24hours respectively), tensile strength (2.362 N/mm2), elongation at break (0.677 mm), compressive strength (0.1575 N/mm2), energy to break (0.016 N.m) and thermal conductivity of 0.0221 W/M.K. Thus, the production of suitable ceiling board using some bio-wastes can be domesticated in Nigeria.