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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Fabrication and Design of Wood-Based High-Performance Composites
Published on: November 9, 2019
Hygrothermal and Acoustical Performance of Starch-Beet Pulp Composites for Building Thermal Insulation
Hamzé Karaky1,2, Chadi Maalouf3, Christophe Bliard4
1Groupe de Recherche en Sciences de l'Ingénieur GRESPI, SFR Condorcet FR CNRS 3417, Université de Reims Champagne Ardennes, Moulin de la Housse, 51687 Reims, France. hamze.karaky@etudiant.univ-reims.fr.
Abstract:
This article deals with the elaboration and the characterization of an innovative 100% plant-based green composite made solely of beet pulp (BP) and potato starch (S). Using this type of material in insulation applications seems a good solution to reduce the CO₂ gas emissions in building. The influence of the starch amount on composite characteristics was studied. Four mixtures were considered with different S/BP mass ratios (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4). The physical properties of these materials were studied in terms of porosity, apparent and absolute densities, thermal conductivity, and hygric properties. The influence of humidity content on acoustical properties was studied as a function of frequency. Test results show a real impact of both starch and humidity contents on the hygrothermal and acoustical properties of the studied material due to the porosity. The composite with the lowest amount of starch (S/BP = 0.1) seems to be the optimal composition in terms of the hygrothermal and acoustical behaviors.
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