1276842

research-article2024
JEF0010.1177/15589250241276842Journal of Engineered Fibers and FabricsRima and Nadir

Original Article

Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics

Thermal and physiochemical Volume 19: 1­–12

© The Author(s) 2024
https://doi.org/10.1177/15589250241276842
DOI: 10.1177/15589250241276842
characterization of bricks incorporating journals.sagepub.com/home/jef

date palm fiber for use as insulation

materials in buildings

Bouhabila Rima and Bellel Nadir

Abstract
This work presents a new compound to improve thermal comfort and decrease energy usage. The compound is
composed of palm fiber, clay, and sand. The purpose of the paper is to assess the impact of combining sustainable and
bio-sourced materials into bricks as heat-insulating materials, in addition to embedding the use of biocomposites in
buildings. The composites were prepared by adding date palm fibers (size of 0.4 mm) with varying weight concentrations
(from 0 wt% to 5 wt%). On the other hand, this biocomposite has been experimentally verified in terms of thermal
and physicochemical characterization and energy economy. The TGA and DSC analyses revealed that including DPF
impacted the matrix’s thermal properties. The results of FTIR and XRD indicate that fiber inclusion does not influence
the chemical structure of the matrix and the non-emergence of new chemicals. This means chemical stability. SEM
microscopy images also showed that palm fiber mergins do not affect the matrix. This is due to the excellent blend
between palm fiber and clay, which increases the vacuum volume and porosity. Furthermore, the results showed a
noticeable decrease in thermal conductivity as the palm fiber weight increased. As well as the energy economy. Hence,
DPF has an excellent impact on the thermal and physicochemical properties of the biocomposite. Therefore, adding palm
fiber to biocomposites enhances thermal insulation in construction.

Keywords
Palm fiber, biocomposite, thermal conductivity, thermal insulation, energy economy

Date received: 10 May 2024; accepted: 6 August 2024

Introduction production phase of fossil materials, which involves the

consumption of fossil materials and the consumption of
The construction sector is a prominent sector characterized
by substantial energy demands, with roughly 40% of yearly
overconsumption.1,2 excess energy consumption in build-
Energy physics Laboratory, Faculty of Exact sciences, University
ings worldwide has led to exhaustible non-renewable Constantine 1, Constantine, Algeria
resources. Most often, the isolation of buildings relies on
petrochemicals (polystyrene) or other natural sources, Corresponding author:
Bouhabila Rima, Energy physics Laboratory, Faculty of Exact Sciences,
which require high energy consumption for processing University Constantine 1, Route Ain El Bey, Constantine 25000,
(such as glass and stone wool). These substances signifi- Algeria.
cantly impact the environment, primarily due to the Email: [email protected]

Creative Commons CC BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of
the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages
(https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
2 Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics 

unsustainable materials for their disposal. This process cre-

ates obstacles to recycling and end-of-life reuse.3 Home
brickmakers in the Middle East and Turkey use fibrous
ingredients like straw to enhance brick tensile strength.4
Every year, in season date harvesting tags, palm waste
accumulates and is available, sustainable, and low-cost.5,6
Palm waste is used to promote the development of polymer
compounds and biodegradable compounds.7 Researchers
stimulated the development of new compounds that are
dependent on this waste.8 Scientists have started research
on nature-friendly biocomposites in recent decades to
appreciate and respect the environment and seek out sus-
tainable materials used in buildings, such as heat-insulating
materials that reduce energy consumption.9 Such as wheat
straw,10 Coconut,11 rice straw,12,13 sugar cane fibers,14 and
palm fibers.9,15,16 The use of environmentally friendly
materials that reduce damage to the environment and these
biomaterials are renewable and sustainable with a cheap
carbon footprint, unlike the derivable materials from fossil
Figure 1. Clay powder for sample preparation.
materials, also promotes biomaterials from waste limit, and
the exploitation of these renewable materials is an excellent
step toward achieving a sustainable future.17 Adding eco- bio compound to determine thermal conductivity, The
friendly fibers to gypsum and cement gives innovative unique purpose of this article is to employ this compound
compounds with excellent thermal properties, as stated in buildings construction in order to get excellent thermal
in Asdrubali et al.,3 which shows that using natural materi- insulation.
als improves thermal conductivity and can increase thermal
insulation in buildings. Similarly, Haddadi et al.18 con-
ducted a numerical investigation on the thermal conductiv- Samples and material preparation
ity of date palm fiber composite. They discovered that
Materials
including natural fibers creates pores in the matrix, reduc-
ing thermal conductivity. Furthermore, they discovered that The materials utilized in this work to produce the new bio-
the size of these pores influences thermal conductivity. composite are DPF sand and clay.
Another study focused on Benchouia et al.’s19 experimental
evaluation of a new eco-friendly insulating material based
The clay
on date palm fibers and polystyrene, where the results con-
firmed that adding natural fibers to the polystyrene Figure 1 illustrates the clay used in the study. It has been
improves heat insulation quality through a decrease in ther- collected from Briquèterie “SAFCER” Didouche Mourad,
mal conductivity. Moreover, the thermal conductivity Constantine, Algeria.
results indicated that palm wood is viable for promoting The chemical and mineralogical compounds of this
insulating compounds. When determining natural fibers material are mentioned in Table 1.
and integrating them into a compound, physicochemical
characterization of compounds that include them is essen-
The sand
tial before using this biocomposite in buildings.
This article aims to develop a biocomposite by improv- Figure 2 illustrates the sand used in the study. It has been
ing the thermal performance of the compound, which collected from Briquèterie “SAFCER” Didouche Mourad,
includes different mass parts of the palm fiber mass; these Constantine, Algeria.
innovative compounds ensure the buildings’ comfort needs
by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, thereby conserv-
Date palm fibers (DPF)
ing energy and preserving the environment. The experi-
mental characterization of the prepared compounds and Figure 3 shows date palm fibers used in this work, the har-
developed were obtained by physicochemical analysis by vested served of the oasis of Ouargla-Algeria. Date
the diffraction a rayon x (XRD), SEM (Scanning Electron branches were rinsed from dust and sand with water before
Microscopy), TGA (Thermogravimetric analysis), DSC use. This fiber drying process was done in the sun for
(Differential scanning calorimetry) and Infrared transfor- 3 days, followed by drying inside the oven at 60°C for 48 h
mation (FTIR), as well as, thermal characterization of the until well dried. After that, an electric mill ground the
Rima and Nadir 3

Table 1. The chemical elements of the clay.

Compounds Fe2O3 Ba O TiO2 CaO K2 O SiO2 Al2O3 MgO Na 2 O

Wt. % 5.98 / 0.71 10.88 1.55 50.12 14.73 2.98 0.32

displays the terminology for each sample, while Figure 4

illustrates composite samples made from (clay + sand)
reinforced date palm fibers.

Measurements methods
TGA (Thermogravimetric analysis)
Mettler Toledo was used to accomplish a simultaneous
thermal analyzer (TGA); this technique tracks changes in
mass and heat flow as a function of temperature from 21°C
to 350°C below an atmosphere regulated by nitrogen, with
a 20 ml/min flow rate and a 10°C/min warming up rate.

DSC (differential scanning calorimetry)

In this work, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was
Figure 2. Sand powder for sample preparation. utilized. This technique allows us to follow the differences
in mass and thermal flow according to heat from 21°C to
350°C below an atmosphere regulated by nitrogen, with a
fiber, and the size of the sieve used during fiber grinding 20 ml/min flow rate at a 10°C/min warming up rate.
was 0.4 mm, and we got 0.4 mm-diameter fibers. The
selection of this sustainable component from the date palm
is based on its good thermophysical characteristics. Infrared transformation (FTIR/Bruker)
This work used spectroscopy for infrared transformation
Samples preparation (FTIR) Bruker, an effective characterization technique.
The composite samples were configured by mixing clay, This analysis allows for the analysis of the molecular
sand, and DPF of varying weights and adding date palm bonds of specimens and the measurement of the influ-
fibers in the following weights: 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% for ence of adding palm fibers to clay and sand. Spectral data
preparing biocomposite materials. Then, we mixed the was collected in a range of 4000–200 cm−1 with no change
ingredients in a bowl for 3 min to ensure good mixing and of separator with a spectral resolution of 1 cm−1, and
homogenize the mixture; the samples were prepared for range intensity was embodied within the transmission
physicochemical characterization following TGA, DSC, factor (T %).
FTIR, XRD, and SEM techniques.
As for the characterization thermal conductivity tech-
nique, clay and sand are mixed with palm fiber in the fol-
XRD
lowing proportions: 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5%, in a suitable The diffraction X-ray (XRD) analyses of biosource sam-
mixing bowl for 3 min before applying water because mix- ples were implemented using copper anodes and K1 radia-
ing dry ingredients is necessary in order to achieve homo- tion with wavelengths of 1.5406 Å and K2 with wavelengths
geneity in the melange. Following this, water was added of 1.5443 Å at 45 kV and 40 mA and the Bruker D8 advance
progressively to the mixture, and the water ratio was com- A 25 scale to investigate how the addition of fibers affects
mensurate with the weight of the added palm fiber. The the analysis of crystalline and mineralized phases.
mixture is mixed thoroughly and continuously for 5 min
until the paste is homogeneous. Then, we pour it into rec-
tangular-shaped molds with a size of 16 × 8 × 4 cm³ for
SEM
72 h to reduce water loss by evaporating it in the air. The The Quattro S Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was
paste is then extracted from the molds and preserved at utilized for the microstructural monitoring of samples and
ambient temperature for 672 h in a laboratory. Table 2 the effect of palm fibers on clay and sand.
4 Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics 

Figure 3. Date palm fiber during and before squashing.

Table 2. Code of prepared samples. φComposite = The heat flux through the composite mate-
Code Samples rial wall.
λComposite = The thermal conductivity of composite
AS Clay + Sand + 0% DPF material.
AS1 Clay + Sand + 1%DPF a = the area (m²).
AS3 Clay + Sand + 3%DPF ∆T = the temperature variance.
AS5 Clay + Sand + 5%DPF e = the thickness (m).

Thermal conductivity Composite a T

Composite  (2)
To measure thermal conductivity, the CT meter machine e
was used for samples (AS, AS1, AS3, AS5); the hot wire
technique was used, based on the principle of placing a hot For an area of (a = 1 m2):
wire between two samples of the same material to measure
conductivity, as shown in Figure 5.  AS T
 AS  (3)
e
Energy economy
The primary objective of all the studies applied to the sam- Composite T
ples is to achieve the best thermal insulation and reduce heat Composite  (4)
e
loss dissipation. The objective of this experimental search of
the compound is to be used in the construction sector, so the As well, for the same thickness:
energy gain of the composite material was calculated before
and after the inclusion of palm fibers. So, two exterior walls
with the same thickness were compared. One comprises a Composite Composite
 (5)
composite material with different concentrations while the  AS  AS
other does not,20 so the heat flux across the two walls is:
Thus, using previous equations, the energy economy that
 a T results from the use of composite materials in buildings
 AS  AS (1)
e can be calculated by the following equation:

φ AS = The heat flux for the wall the raw material. Composite
λAS = The thermal conductivity of raw (clay +sand) Eeconomy  100  (1  ) (6)
material.  AS
Rima and Nadir 5

Figure 4. The samples of: AS, AS1, AS3, AS5.

Result and discussions

TGA
The aim of the TGA analysis is to study the weight loss
introduced by high temperatures in the chemical composi-
tion of palm fibers. Figure 6 shows us TGA analysis curves
for clay and sand and, after adding date palm fibers, by a
different proportion, as the shape shows weight loss for
samples AS, AS1, AS3, and AS5. The difference in weight
loss is due to the various ratios of added fibers, and the
higher the ratio of palm fiber, the greater the weight loss
compared to the raw sample AS, which is due to elevated
temperature with water evaporation. A significant differ-
ence in weight loss between 190°C and 331°C indicates
cellulose degradation when adding palm fibers.21 The tem-
perature between 21°C and 60°C was noted as weight loss
in the samples AS1 and AS3, but the sample AS5, on the
other hand, compared to the raw AS, is almost zero. This
temperature result is close to the one predicted by Bellel
and Bellel.15 As shown in Table 3.
Figure 7 illustrates the outcomes of the weight ther-
mal analysis (TGA) conducted on date palm fibers pure,
where a curve displays the DPF decomposed by a two-
Figure 5. The CT-meter machine of the measure the thermal phase thermal degradation. In the first phase, the raw
conductivity. DPF weight loses a temperature range between
6 Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics 

Figure 8. DSC graphs of all samples AS, AS1, AS3, and AS5.
Figure 6. TGA graphs of all samples AS, AS1, AS3, and AS5.

Table 3. Temperature effect on weight loss.

21°C–60°C 190°C–331°C
Samples Weight (%) Weight (%)
AS 0.2 ± 0.01 0.5 ± 0.01
AS1 0.6 ± 0.01 0.9 ± 0.01
AS3 0.6 ± 0.01 1.6 ± 0.01
AS5 0.2 ± 0.01 2.4 ± 0.01

Figure 9. DSC graph of sample raw date palm fiber (DPF).

DSC
A differential scanning calorimetry analysis survey was
conducted to study thermal transitions caused by high
temperatures.
Figure 8 presents the differential scanning calorimetry
(DSC) curves for AS, AS1, AS3, and AS5. The analysis
Figure 7. TGA graph of sample raw date palm fiber (DPF). results reveal that the DSC recorded an internal tempera-
ture peak at 96.61°C. This peak is caused by the heating of
samples, which produces water evaporation. The results
40°C and 190°C due to water’s evaporation, and the sam- also revealed that convergent curves prove that the inclu-
ple also loses 5% of its initial mass. In the second phase, sion of palm fibers does not alter the chemical structure
a temperature ranges between 190°C and 333°C due to and the non-emergence of new chemicals, as Saad Azzem
the deterioration of cellulose; this temperature result is and Bellel.22 Figure 9 illustrates the DSC curve of palm
close to the one predicted.21 Thermogravimetric analysis fiber, revealing a high-temperature peak between 50°C
results show that date palm fibers (DPF) will deteriorate and 120°C, which attribute to water evaporation, as noted
from 190°C. by Bellel.23
Rima and Nadir 7

Figure 10. FTIR spectrums of all specimens AS, AS1, AS3, AS5.

FTIR malformation of the quartz Si-O bond.24 Results of FTIR

spectroscopy of samples AS1, AS3, and AS5 containing
The reason for using FTIR analysis is to recognize the palm fibers of varying concentration show no difference in
chemical composition of the palm fibers used in this work peaks compared to the pure AS sample. This confirms that
and check the chemical stability of the biocomposite. palm fibers do not affect the chemical properties and the
Figure 10 shows FTIR spectrums for pure sample non-emergence of new materials, which means that palm
(sand + clay) AS and samples after adding palm fibers. fibers do not interact with clay or sand and can be com-
FTIR spectral analysis of the pure AS sample provides the bined with some.
following information: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of raw
Spectroscopic analysis FTIR of the sample reveals that date palm fibers is illustrated in Figure 11, and analysis
the peaks are concentrated at 3700 and 3633 cm−1 compat- revealed the chemical elements of sustainable fibers where
ible with the hydroxyl groups vibration of the kaolinite.24 basic peaks were observed. Therefore, the spectrum results
The water molecule vibration of the OH group created a revealed that the extended absorption range of hydroxyl is
peak of 1633 cm−1.24,25 Also, the spectrum revealed the concentrated at 3326 cm−1 due to hydrogen vibration asso-
bands of carbonates centered in 1454 cm−1.25 The peak at ciated with the hydroxyl O-H group.17,27,28 C-H saturated
1600 cm−1 corresponds to group Si-O-Si elongation vibra- vibrational extending from CH and CH 2 (cellulose, hemi-
tions.24,26 The expansion of the Al-OH group resulted in a cellulose) are concentrated at peaks 2925 cm−1, and
peak of 912 cm−1.25 Peaks 530,796,696 cm−1 indicate the 2848 cm−1.27 The peak at 1731 conforms to the composition
8 Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics 

Figure 11. FTIR spectrums of specimens raw date palm fiber Figure 12. X-ray diffraction diagram of sample raw date palm
(DPF). fiber (DPF).

of the carbonyl bond vibration of the C=O groups (acetyl Figure 14 illustrates the image taken by the electronic
hemicellulose groups and aster).28,29 The vibration of the microscope (SEM) of raw and pure palm fibers, which
OH group, which is associated with water, is denoted by the shows their cylindrical, longitudinal, and irregular shapes.
peak at 1606 cm−1.29,30 The four peaks centered on 1509, It also indicates threads that allow excellent adhesion to
1425, 1324, and 1243 cm−1 were issued by extended vibra- clay and sand.
tion bond C=C of lignin (aromatic stretching).22,29,31,32 The Figure 15(a) shows the sample AS raw image for
deformation vibration of C-H (asymmetric) in lignin is (clay + sand), and image 15 (b) shows Sample AS1 con-
caused at the peak located at 1375 cm−1.31,33 C-O curvature sisting of (clay + sand + 1% fiber) and image (c) The sam-
in cellulose and hemicellulose generates the peak at ple shows AS3 and consists of (clay + sand + 3% fiber)
1037 cm−1.34,35 and the peak stationed at 887 cm−1 corre- and the last image (d) shows AS5 the sample consisting of
sponds to the association of the bond (C-O-C) of β- (clay + sand + 5% fiber), the comparison of images shows
glucose.29,34,35 the peak is formed at 1160 due to the a discrepancy in the size of pores and consequently the
unsymmetrical vibrational of the bond (C-O-C) of β- effect of plant fibers on the porosity of this matrix and also
glucose.15,30 Spectra of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) a comparison present that the higher the focus of fiber has
revealed that palm fibers consist of cellulose, lignin, and also been the size of the pores increased.
hemicellulose compounds. The results obtained in Figure 15(d) show that the AS5
sample is better because it contains the largest porous size,
The diffraction a rayon x (XRD) including the integration of green fibers in a matrix that
augments the porosity volume to decrease thermal conduc-
Figure 12 represents the diffraction of a DPF rayon x pat- tivity to increase thermal insulation, and this is a result cor-
tern. There is a prominent apex at 2θ = 21.9°, in accordance responding to Saad Azzem and Bellel.22
with the crystal plane (002) of cellulose.36 Other clear
peaks are approximately 2θ = 16° and 35° in the fiber, cor-
responding to (10-1) and (040) crystal faces of natural cel-
Thermal conductivity
lulose (cellulose I).36
The other, Figure 13, presents the results of the XRD of Figure 16 outlines the connection between palm fiber con-
all samples AS, AS1, AS3, and AS5. The results obtained centration and thermal conductivity. The impact of palm
by adding different concentrations of palm fibers show no fiber on thermal conductivity is included in this graph. By
change in the mineral composites, and no new compounds incorporating 1% of DPF, the thermal conductivity is
appear when the fiber is added. Thus, the palm fiber addi- reduced by 25.7% – moreover, 29.4% when adding 3% of
tion does not impact the matrix’s crystalline structure. fiber. Figure 16 also showed that when adding 5% of fiber
caused a significant decline in thermal conductivity with
66.12%; analogous behavior was documented by
SEM Mekhermeche et al.,37 who discussed the influence of the
The reason for using SEM analysis is to observe the mor- inclusion of palm to (clay + sand) on the thermal conduc-
phology of the samples and recognize the microstructure tivity. Thus, from the results, the AS5 sample has the
of the palm fibers used in this work. best thermal conductivity, 0.29 W/m.k. Furthermore, the
Rima and Nadir 9

Figure 13. X-ray diffraction patterns of sample.

Figure 14. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of (a and b) raw DPF
10 Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics 

Figure 15. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of AS (a), AS1 (b), AS3(c), AS5 (d).

merging of palm fiber significantly affects the reduction of

thermal conductivity.

Energy economy
The findings are summarized in Table 4, which shows the
results of compounds containing different concentrations
of palm fibers and pure material that does not contain fiber.
From Table 4, it can be seen that the pure material in
which palm fibers are not included does not provide
energy, either when 1% of palm fibers are included, a sav-
ing of 26% of the energy, and also When 3% of fibers are
included, saving energy by 29.4%, On the other hand, a
Figure 16. Relationship between thermal conductivity and compound containing 5% palm fiber has the lowest ther-
fiber content. mal conductivity, any excellent thermal performance, as
Rima and Nadir 11

Table 4. Energy economy outcomes based on palm fiber Eventually, integrating 5% of fibers into clay and sand
content. improves the compound’s thermal and physiochemical
Samples
−1 −1
λ (W m K ) Energy economy (%) properties and achieves building standards. Consequently,
these biocomposites strengthen the construction sector.
AS + 0%fibers 0.856 0
AS + 1%fibers 0.636 26 Declaration of conflicting interests
AS + 3%fibers 0.604 29.4
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
AS + 5%fibers 0.290 66.1
to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding
well as an excellent energy economy of 66.1%. Results
also indicate through the recycling of date palms that the The author(s) received no financial support for the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.
higher the concentration of fibers, the more energy saving
and, similarly, halenur.38 However, the compound contains
ORCID iDs
5% fibers, which can be nominated as the best compound
for buildings concerning thermal insulation and energy Bouhabila Rima https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0631-8058
economy. Bellel Nadir https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2825-7559

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