A novel aerogel from thermal power plant waste for thermal and acoustic insulation applications

Hai M Duong; Nathaniel R B Ling; Quoc B Thai; Duyen K Le; Phuc T T Nguyen; Xue Yang Goh; Nhan Phan-Thien

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.01.031

A novel aerogel from thermal power plant waste for thermal and acoustic insulation applications

Waste Manag. 2021 Apr 1:124:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.01.031. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Authors

Hai M Duong¹, Nathaniel R B Ling², Quoc B Thai², Duyen K Le², Phuc T T Nguyen², Xue Yang Goh², Nhan Phan-Thien²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Cuu Long University, Vinh Long, Viet Nam. Electronic address: mpedhm@nus.edu.sg.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

PMID: 33592320
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.01.031

Abstract

Massive quantities of fly ash are produced worldwide from thermal power plants, posing a serious environmental threat due to their storage and disposal problems. In this study, for the first time, fly ash is converted into an advanced and novel aerogel through a green and eco-friendly process. The developed aerogel has a low density of 0.10-0.19 g cm^-3, a high porosity of up to 90%, a low thermal conductivity of 0.042-0.050 W/mK, and a good sound absorption coefficient (noise reduction coefficient [NRC] value of 0.20-0.30). It also shows a high compressive Young's modulus of up to 150 kPa. Therefore, the newly developed fly ash aerogel is a potential material for thermal and acoustic insulation applications, along with lightweight composites in automotive and aerospace applications.

Keywords: Aerogels; Fly ash; Sound insulation; Thermal conductivity; Thermal insulation.

MeSH terms

Acoustics
Coal Ash*
Porosity
Power Plants*
Thermal Conductivity

Substances

Coal Ash