Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2518–2523

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Energy and Buildings

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Development and performance evaluation of natural thermal-insulation

materials composed of renewable resources
Azra Korjenic a,∗ , Vít Petránek b , Jiří Zach b , Jitka Hroudová b
a
Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Building Construction and Technology, Research Centre of Building Physics and Sound Protection,
Karlsplatz 13/206-2, A - 1040 Vienna, Austria
b
Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technology Institute of Building Materials and Components, Veverí 95, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Because energy efficiency in buildings will be evaluated not only based upon heating demand, but also
Received 14 January 2011 according to the primary energy demand, the ecological properties of the building materials for the
Received in revised form 5 May 2011 whole assessment has become essential. The demand for green building materials is rising sharply, espe-
Accepted 12 June 2011
cially insulating materials from renewable resources. The application of natural materials has become
increasingly important as a consequence of the increasing need to conserve energy, use natural materi-
Keywords:
als, incorporate architecture and construction into sustainable development processes, and the recently
Thermal insulating material
promulgated discussions on appropriate disposal of used insulation materials such as polystyrene (EPS).
Jute
Flax
Due to the fact that natural materials are more sensitive to moisture, decomposition factors such as
Hemp temperature, material moisture content, attacks by microorganisms, and possible decomposition of the
material or shorter durability, it is necessary to evaluate the degradation rate of built-in materials and
also determine their real in situ hygrothermal properties according to their moisture content, and volume
changes.
This paper describes the results of a research project carried out at the Vienna University of Technology
and Brno University of Technology. The objective is to use jute, flax, and hemp to develop a new insulating
material from renewable resources with comparable building physics and mechanical properties to com-
monly used insulations materials. All input components are varied in the tests. The impact of moisture
content changes in relation to the rate of change of other properties was the focus of the investigation.
The tests results show that the correct combination of natural materials is absolutely comparable with
convectional materials.
© 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction In general, the principles of sustainable development are closely

In the near future, all new buildings will be built to the pas-
sive house level and existing buildings will be renovated to meet
the low energy building standard. The new approaches to energy-
efficient design are not only moving in the direction of lower and
lower U-values to achieve lower energy consumption, but also
the development and use of natural and local building materials.
In recent years, the field of thermal protection in buildings are
focusing more upon ecological properties. Environmental aware-
ness is now not only limited to energy savings, but also contained
within ecologically sound construction, i.e. minimum energy input,
resource consumption, and pollution production should be a part
of the production, installation, and use of insulation materials [1].
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +43 1 58801 20662; fax: +43 1 58801 20698.
E-mail address: azra.korjenic@tuwien.ac.at (A. Korjenic).
adhered to within the trends of existing development. Fears of
raw material and energy resource depletion, and concerns about
excessive air pollution are rising to a far greater extent now
than in the past. Far more emphasis is placed upon non-toxic
materials and recyclability. The indicated trends are also evident
within innovation of buildings. Consideration is shifted away from
energy demanding technologies towards organic materials, i.e. the
natural raw materials that meet the majority of requirements
for sustainable development. In the last time, some investiga-
tions are carried out with natural materials and have shown that
they are comparable with standard building materials. In [2] an
environment-friendly thermal insulation material binderless cot-
ton stalk fiberboard was developed from cotton stalk fibres without
resins and other chemical additives and exposed that it can success-
fully compete with other insulation materials. The research article
of Agoudjil et al. shows that the date palm wood is a good candidate
for the development of efficient and safe insulating materials when
compared to the other natural materials [3]. In [4] was shown that

0378-7788/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.06.012
 A. Korjenic et al. / Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2518–2523
hemp concrete can decrease the daily indoor relative humidity vari-
ations and reduction of 45% in energy consumption can be reached
compared to cellular concrete. Also, systematic measurements of
several important variables in a built house with straw bale walls
in Germany shows excellent properties to provide excellent living
conditions [5].
By using natural building materials in structures, human health
can also be positively influenced [6]. Natural building materials reg-
ulate internal air humidity well and their characteristic odor acts
on the human psyche beneficially. International research focusing
on studying the effects of buildings on human health studies the
relationship between psyche and building material odors. It takes
several trends; we rank the following among the most important
ones:
- IAP (Indoor Air Pollution) deals with negative health effects of
harmful physical, chemical and biological substances,
- SBS (Sick Building Syndrome)- deals with the negative influence
of the indoor environment on human health without demonstra-
ble origin and continuity,
BRI (Building Related Illness) deals with illnesses having their
demonstrable origin in the building itself.
The objective of the joint project between VUT in Brno and TU
Vienna is namely the development, optimization, and observation
of the behaviour of thermally insulating materials composed of eas-
ily renewable raw material resources originating from agricultural
sources which could be used in new building structures and for
renovation the existing engineering structures. Subsequently the
possible applications of these materials should be precisely defined
and measured, using simulation to verify functionality and durabil-
ity [7].
2. Thermal insulation materials composed of easily
renewable raw material resources originating from
agricultural sources
The low thermal conductivity and fibrous character of the
majority of organic materials contribute to a significant improve-
ment of the thermal-insulation properties after incorporation in the
structure of the exterior building envelope. Natural organic materi-
als also show other different physical properties to ordinary silicate
materials; they usually contain a higher specific heat capacity and
higher moisture sensitivity.
Organic materials are generally water vapour permeable and
can accumulate moisture by adsorption from the air. Favourable
properties of organic materials are the capabilities of absorb-
ing moisture into the internal porous system at increased air
humidities, and conversely, gradual moisture release into the
surroundings with decreasing air humidity [8]. This mechanism
favourably influences the indoor air humidity, primarily in win-
ter when prolonged periods of low indoor air humidity may be
experienced.
Organic materials provide good sound insulation properties.
This is mainly due to high sound absorption. However, the par-
ticular properties of each material depend on the structure and the
density of a particular material.
As mentioned above, natural materials mostly show higher
moisture sensitivity, which is problematic if the material is exposed
on a long term basis to an environment with high humidity or if is
in contact with liquid water.
Excessive exposure to humidity may cause biological corrosion,
i.e. degradation by bacteria, mildew and fungi acting on the mate-
rial. For this reason, the manufactured organic materials should
always be separated from the sources of moisture, and/or a pos-
2519
sibility of rapid drying must be ensured when materials get wet.
Problems with moisture in walls should not occur if the building is
properly designed.
Thermal insulating properties deteriorate due to humidity and
moisture. The thermal conductivity coefficient of a damp material
is defined by the thermal conductivity of the fixed matrix, fluid
phases, gas phases and their quantities, phase variations and spa-
tial arrangement of the individual phases. The thermal conductivity
coefficient is generally increasing with higher humidity. A very
high open porosity value has a dominant influence on thermal and
moisture behaviour of organic insulating materials, and is a very
important factor of natural thermal insulating materials.
Finally, poor fire resistance ranks among the negative proper-
ties of natural building materials. However, fire resistance can be
effectively improved by fire retardants and by building these nat-
ural materials into structures with fireproof finishings (plaster or
facing).
3. Heat and moisture transfer in a porous environment
The thermal and moisture behaviour of building materials,
and subsequently the building envelope, is a significant aspect of
whole building performance [9]. Currently, hygrothermal transport
through a building envelope exposed to standard climate condi-
tions is well understood and a number of simulation models and
computer codes have been developed and validated worldwide.
The changes in temperature, moisture, and air pressure have a most
important influence on the physical situation and functioning of the
building components.
To reproduce all this processes in the building using simula-
tion programs, accurate input data for all materials are needed.
Modelling of the different physical aspects of buildings (Heat, Air
and Moisture) as well as the compilation of the absolutely nec-
essary material data has been investigated in detail in Annex 41
of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Energy Conservation in
Buildings and Community Systems program (ECBCS) [10].
The exact knowledge of the material properties is central to
identify the physical performance of building constructions.
Especially the moisture-dependent physical structure material
data are essential for natural materials because they respond to
temperature and humidity changes.
Mainly building materials are porous and can be considered as
a solid medium with pores filled with air. Moisture is present in
porous materials as bulk water in the coarse pores, as capillary
condensed liquid water in the fine pores, water vapour in the air-
filled pores, as adsorbed layers of water molecules on the internal
pore wall surfaces, and as water physio-chemically bounded in the
material that represents the solid matrix. The moisture content of
a building material is presented as the relation of the weight of
absorbed moisture to the dry weight of the material, u [kg kg−1 ].
Other units to indicate the moisture content could be volume spe-
cific units. Depending on the moisture content in the material, a
partial pressure of water vapour exists in the pore. Likewise, the
liquid moisture that is present in the capillaries of the material will
exert a certain liquid pressure depending on how much moisture is
absorbed in the materials. In general, equilibria exist between these
pressures and moisture content, and the equilibria are described by
two types of moisture retention curves: the sorption curve gives the
equilibrium relation between the moisture content of the material
and relative humidity of air in contact with or entrapped within the
material. The suction curve gives the equilibrium between mois-
ture content of the material and liquid pressure of pore water in the
material. Therefore, it is very important to assess all moisture trans-
port processes (Vapour-Diffusion, Liquid-Capillary suction, Darcy
flow, Surface diffusion, Convective moisture flow) and all prop-
2520 A. Korjenic et al. / Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2518–2523

erties depending on moisture content, to be able to evaluate the

building material and its possible use. The fact is that this new
developed material is a thermal-insulating material; the thermal
conductivity is one of the most important dimensions.
Because the thermal conductivity factor changes with the
amount of moisture, the moisture influence on other proper-
ties was investigated. Within this research, the possibilities of
using technical hemp fibres (type of hemp where amount of
tetrahydrocannabinol-THC in hemp fibres is less than 0,3%), flax
and jute for manufacturing insulating mats or boards for insula-
tion of floating floors, interior walls, roofs, and facades was studied.
Concurrently running simulations of various constructions by use
of these plates and the results are described in the next paper.

4. Preparation and composition of the specimens

Research of a new organic thermo insulating material and end-

use properties has been ongoing within a joint research project
between TU Vienna and TU Brno. Owing to ever-increasing trends
to use natural insulating materials in the building industry, three
different natural materials as input raw materials were selected
and investigated for this research work. These were jute, flax and
hemp.
The objective was to monitor and compare the resulting char-
acteristics of different compositions of input materials reciprocally
and also to compare the materials with today’s commonly used
thermal insulating materials such as mineral wool, EPS and oth-
ers. The next part of the project was to examine the influence of
surroundings on thermal-engineering properties of these natural
materials and on their function in the structure.
Six sets of specimens made of thermal insulating materials were
chosen from the natural raw materials for study. Three different
organic input raw materials were selected for the comparison of
resulting physical, mechanical and thermal insulating properties,
i.e. jute, flax and hemp. As to hemp, specimen sets with the percent-
age composition of input raw materials (hemp fibres, chaff) similar
to the first two specimen sets were selected, these specimen sets
were denoted as 4 and 6 and with a different composition, specimen
sets 3 and 5. Another comparative criterion was represented by the
thickness of each specimen, in specimen sets marked as 1 to 4, the
specimen thickness ranged from 77.4 to 81.2 mm; the specimen
thickness in sets 5 and 6 were within the range of 30.3–40.2 mm.
The test specimens were composed of certain proportions of the
following materials:
Fig. 1. Photo of hemp fibres with bicomponent fibres.
The technology of production of thermal-insulating carpets
from technical hemp is implemented in practice according to the
following procedure:
• preparation (application of additives to fibres, drying of the fibres,
pneumatic mixing of hemp and bi-component fibres),
• homogenization of fibres mix and formation of insulation carpet,
• pressing down of insulation carpet to define thickness under and
caking of boards under increased pressure and temperature,
• cooling and cutting insulation boards in the required format.
Based on the above mentioned formulas, large format test spec-
imens were made on a production line. Test specimens were
prepared in plates sized 300 mm × 300 mm, 200 mm × 200 mm and
100 mm diameter circular specimens for determining bulk density,
thermal insulating, and absorption properties. A set of analyzed
samples is shown in Fig. 2.
5. Operating method
In order to study the behaviour of the organic thermal insu-
lating materials, it was necessary to carry out the following test
procedures according to relevant standards for insulation products
applicable in building industry:

• natural fibres (jute, flax, technical hemp),
• shives,
• binder (bicomponent fibres).
In Fig. 1, the hemp fibres with bicomponent fibres is pictured.
Table 1 indicates individual percentages of individual compo-
nents in the six specimen sets. The dosing of different materials
was controlled by volume with a given density.
• The determination of bulk density was carried out on test
specimens dried at 105 ◦ C by the gravimetric method. Exact
dimensions of test specimens were measured with accuracy to
0.1 mm. The weight was determined using a laboratory balance
with 0.01 g accuracy. The determination of bulk density was car-
ried out according to EN 1602 [11].
• Determination of mechanical properties

Table 1
Percentages of various components in the test sets.

Set of samples Material source Composition [hm. %]

Natural fibres Binder Shives

1 Jute 68 20 12
2 Flax 68 20 12
3 Technical hemp 48 20 32
4 Technical hemp 64 20 16
5 Technical hemp 48 20 32
6 Technical hemp 64 20 16 Fig. 2. Testing samples.
 A. Korjenic et al. / Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2518–2523
Fig. 3. Device for measuring the thermal conductivity, Holometrix Lambda 2300.
◦ The stress at 10% deformation was determined on test spec-
imens 200 mm × 200 mm slabs. The test was carried out
according to EN 826 “Thermal insulating products for building
applications – Compression test”.
During the determination of mechanical properties, the
test specimens were loaded by test equipment (a pressing
machine). The applied pressure and related proportional defor-
mation of the test specimen was read at specific intervals for
the purpose of plotting the stress–strain diagram.
F10
10 = 103 ·
A0
F10 is the force corresponding to 10% of compressive strain [N];
A0 is the initial cross-section of test specimen [mm2 ].
◦ The tensile strength perpendicular to the plane of the slab was
determined on 200 mm × 200 mm slab test specimens. The test
was conducted conforming to EN 1607 “Thermal insulating
products for building applications – determination of tensile
strength perpendicular to faces”.
The test specimens were fixed between two stiff boards and
installed in the test equipment to determine the tensile test
and they were subsequently pulled apart from each other with
a given velocity. The maximum tensile force was registered and
the tensile strength of the test sample was calculated.
Fm Fm
mt = = (2)
A l×b
Fm is the maximum tensile force [kN]; A is the sectional area
[m2 ]; l, b is the length, test specimen width [m]
• The determination of the thermal conductivity coefficient was
carried out in a steady state using the slab method. Measure-
ments were made using the Lambda 2300 measuring device, by
Holometrix Micromet Inc., USA, operating on the principle of the
stationary slab method at a mean temperature of +10 ◦ C and tem-
perature gradient of 10 K. The measuring instrument is presented
in Fig. 3.
Test specimens – 300 mm × 300 mm slabs – were dried at 65 ◦ C
prior to testing and were then tested at 105 ◦ C. The thermal con-
ductivity coefficient was determined according to ISO 8301 [12].
Measurements were taken using the device operating on the sta-
tionary slab principle at the mean temperature of +10 ◦ C and
temperature gradient of 10 K [13].
T
q = − ·
x
q is the heat flux density [W m−2 ];  is the thermal conductivity
[W m−1 K−1 ]; T/x is the temperature gradient [K m−1 ].
• The water vapour permeability was determined using 100 mm
diameter circular test specimens (Fig. 4). The test was carried out
2521
Fig. 4. Measuring the diffusion resistance factor.
in the climatic chamber at Faculty of Building in Brno at a tem-
perature of 23 ◦ C and relative humidity of 93% and in compliance
with EN 12086 “Thermal insulating products for application on
building industry – determination of water vapour transmission
properties” [14].
The absorption properties were determined using test specimens
at an ambient temperature of 23 ◦ C and relative humidity in the
range from 0% to 92%. The values measured were used for plotting
the absorption isotherms represented in Diagram 3. Knowledge of
the absorption properties is crucial for determining the moisture
content in the material after its used for building.
(1)
6. Measurement results and discussion
Test specimens of organic thermal insulating materials were
subject to individual tests as presented in Section 5.
6.1. Determination of physical and mechanical properties
The resulting measurements of physical and mechanical prop-
erties of individual test specimen sets are presented in Table 2.
The data acquired from the measurements were used as a resource
for a part of further research work, i.e. the assessment of heat
and moisture propagation in engineering structures and materials
using calculation software.
• Bulk density values of individual test specimen sets were within
the range of 26.1–33.1 kg m−3 . The value of 82.1 kg m−3 , which
is significantly higher for test specimens in set 6, was caused by
stronger consolidation of input raw materials.
• The most favourable thermal conductivity coefficient was deter-
mined in specimen set 6 from hemp, the average thickness of
which was 40.2 mm and the average bulk volume was 82.1 mm.
• The diffusion resistance factor in individual sets varied in the
range of 2.1–4. The minimum diffusion resistance was deter-
mined in specimen set 1 made of flax.
• As it is apparent from the above given tabular values, the stress
at 10% deformation and the tensile stress perpendicular to slab
faces that the hemp insulation made obtain very good mechani-
cal properties relative to their bulk densities. The test specimen
sets made of natural raw material resources (jute, flax) reached
significantly lower values of tensile strength perpendicular to the
faces of the slab.
(3)
6.2. Determination of balanced humidity absorption
The moisture behaviour of newly developed materials was
assessed based on the test results. Frequent moisture formation in
buildings may result in faults; the increased moisture on wall and
2522 A. Korjenic et al. / Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2518–2523

Table 2
Physical and mechanical properties of investigated samples.

Set of samples Thickness Density Thermal Factor of diffuse Tension at 10% Tensile strength
[mm] [kg m−3 ] conductivity, dry resistance [–] deformation [kPa] [kPa]
[W m−1 K−1 ]

1 81.2 26.1 0.0458 2.1 1.0 6.25

2 77.4 32.1 0.0429 2.9 0.4 7.75
3 77.9 30.2 0.0486 2.8 0.6 15.56
4 79.6 29.6 0.0475 2.2 0.8 16.23
5 30.3 33.1 0.0419 3.8 0.5 23.47
6 40.2 82.1 0.0393 4 11.2 15.00

ceiling surfaces of interior rooms may lead to hygienic problems Table 3

Conversion factor for mass moisture of six investigated samples.
and health risks caused by mildew formation.
The determination of balanced absorption moisture was carried Set of samples 1 2 3 4 5 6
out at an ambient temperature of 23 ◦ C (average value) and relative fu [kg kg−1 ] 1.176 1.411 1.530 1.738 1.797 1.402
humidity in the range from 0% to 92%. The samples were placed into
the exsiccators with different solutions to simulate different rela-
tive humidity values. The values measured were used for plotting
absorption isotherms represented in Fig. 5. Knowledge of absorp- As apparent from the above given behaviours of thermal con-
tion properties is crucial for determining the moisture content in ductivity coefficient versus moisture, a similar trend was observed
the material after it is incorporated into a building. in all cases: an increase in the thermal conductivity value was reg-
It is evident from the test results that the investigated natural istered in specimens with higher moisture sensitivity (specimens
thermal insulating materials are sensitive to moisture in the sur- 1–3).
roundings into which they are built. Nevertheless, in comparison to Based on EN ISO 10456, it is possible to convert the thermal val-
other natural materials (wood, wool, etc.) the moisture sensitivity ues determined at certain boundary conditions (1 , R1 ) into values
of hemp, flax and jute is lower. The maximum moisture sensitiv- corresponding to different conditions (2 , R2 ). The following equa-
ity to the surroundings was observed in the flax set, specimen 2, tion is applicable to convert a value into another material moisture
conversely the lowest sensitivity was registered in the hemp set, value:
specimens 6.
2 = 1 . Fm (4)

6.3. Determination of the moisture dependence of
thermal-moisture characteristics
In order to determine the moisture dependence of thermal
conductivity coefficient values for individual test specimens, test
specimens were measured with different moisture contents within
the range of detected absorption moistures (see above). The defined
amount of moisture was always installed in the test specimens
before the measurement. Particularly, there were several moisture
levels, from 0% to 14%. The specimens got desiccated or moistened
so that their moisture approximates to the values of the selected
moisture as much as possible. Subsequently, the specimens were
wrapped in foil in order to prevent the moisture from escaping.
The specimens were weighed before and after the measurements in
order to compute the change of moisture during the measurement.
The test results are presented in Fig. 6.
whereas Fm represents the moisture conversion factor:
Fm = efu (u1 −u2 ) (5)
where u is the mass moisture [kg kg−1 ]; fu is the conversion factor
for mass moisture [kg kg−1 ],
According to EN ISO 10456, Tab. 4, the conversion coefficient for
mass moistures fu = 0.5 kg kg−1 is also tabulated.
Based on the measured values a back-calculation of coefficient
for mass moistures f u for function was performed (6). The results
are presented in Table 3 and Fig. 7.
The comparison of moisture dependence of thermal conduc-
tivity for “Set of samples 1 between measured, simulated, and
standard values is shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 5. Illustration of stable balanced moisture absorption properties’ behaviour for Fig. 6. The moisture dependence of thermal conductivity coefficient values in indi-
individual test specimens at 23 ◦ C. vidual test specimens.
 A. Korjenic et al. / Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2518–2523
Fig. 7. Conversion factor.
Fig. 8. comparison of moisture dependence of thermal conductivity between mea-
sured, simulated, and standard values (Set of samples 1).
7. Conclusion
For the implementation of the thermal protection which takes
into account both comfort and hygiene, as well as energy and envi-
ronmental savings, currently there are no better measures than the
insulation of the shell of a building. The demand for new ecolog-
ically friendly materials based on fast-renewable natural sources
is currently a growing topic. In addition to conventional insulat-
ing materials such as mineral wool, EPS, etc., natural alternative
materials such as those from jute, flax and hemp are available. The
latter is not a substitute for the previous, but an improvement of
the product range. The use of these substances is dependent on
specific advantages and disadvantages and depends on the given
structural situation. Thermal, humidity, fire and sound protection
are considered.
In this investigation, different insulation plates from jute, flax
and hemp are manufactured, diverse material characteristics mea-
sured and compared with conventional insulation materials.
The selection of determining parameters was based on the rele-
vant building physical processes, particularly moisture absorption
and transport, as well as other moisture content dependent state
properties.
With respect to the development of science and technology, it
can be said that thermal insulations made from natural raw mate-
2523
rials are likely to become a suitable alternative to commonly used
boards made from different materials (mineral wool, polystyrene
or polyurethane). Measurements showed that properties of insu-
lating board from organic fibres are fully comparable to common
insulating boards made from other materials.
Based on the measured values, a back-calculation of coefficient
for mass moistures fu for function was performed. As you can see
in Table 3 above, all calculated values are 2–3.5 times higher com-
pared to normalised value according to EN ISO 10456. It is apparent
from the measured data that with increasing moisture content of
samples there is higher rise of the measured thermal conductivity
value than counted values according to EN ISO 10456.
And thus it is very important to consider these measured val-
ues for designing composition of building structure and computing
simulation.
The next step of our investigation is to define all measured mate-
rial properties in the database of the simulation program and to
integrate using means of simulation calculations, the damage free
application of these plates. The results of this part of the study are
presented in the next paper.
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by the project MSM 0021630511 and
project “Studium der Verhaltung von Wärmeisolierungen aus ein-
fach erneuerbaren Landwirtschaftsrohstoffquellen” from program
AKTION 2010/11.
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