CELLULOSE AEROGELS MADE FROM DATE PALM WOOD FOR HEAT INSULATION IN CONSTRUCTION

H. Al Abdallah1
, B. Abu-jdayil1*, Joy Tannous1
1: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Dept., United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates
Herein, cellulose fibers that were extracted from local date palm trees wood in the United Arab
Emirates are employed to produce cellulose aerogels. The potential of these ultra-light, highly
porous and highly insulating cellulose aerogels to be used as heat insulation materials in buildings
is examined in this research. The aim of this study is to reduce the reliance on fossil-fuel based
materials in construction, and to replace them with sustainable and ecological materials. Cellulose
initially was extracted from date palm trees using traditional alkaline treatment for the lignin
removal, followed by bleaching to reject the hemicellulose. Afterwards, cellulose aerogels were
prepared through dissolving the extracted cellulose fibers in imidazolium based ionic liquids that
served as green solvent, followed by gelation and freeze-drying. The aerogels were prepared with
cellulose weight percentages of 3, 5, 7, and 9 wt.%, with respect to the ionic liquid solvent. The
materials achieved promising results for the relevant properties, by having a low density of 0.068
g/cm3, and a low thermal conductivity of 0.03 W/m·k. The produced cellulose aerogels retain
great properties that can compete with the commercial fossil-fuel based insulators such as
expanded and extruded polystyrene. Other properties such as TGA, FTIR, XRD, DSC, and
mechanical properties are explored to further assess the suitability of the materials for the desired
application.