Open Access

ARTICLE

Characterization of Manmade and Recycled Cellulosic Fibers for Their Application in Building Materials

by Nadezda Stevulova, Viola Hospodarova, Adriana Estokova, Eva Singovszka, Marian Holub, Stefan Demcak, Jaroslav Briancin, Anton Geffert, Frantisek Kacik, Vojtech Vaclavik, Tomas Dvorsky

1 Technical University of Kosice, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Vysokoskolska 4, 04200 Kosice, Slovakia.
2 Institute of Geotechnics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 45, 043 53 Kosice, Slovakia.
3 Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, T. G. Masaryka 2117/24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia.
4 VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Mining and Geology, Department of Environmental Engineering, 17. listopadu 15/2172, 708 33 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic.

* Corresponding Author: Nadezda Stevulova. Email: .

Journal of Renewable Materials 2019, 7(11), 1121-1145. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2019.07556

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize two types of cellulosic fibers obtained from bleached wood pulp and unbleached recycled waste paper with different cellulose content (from 47.4 percent up to 82 percent), to compare and to analyze the potential use of the recycled fibers for building application, such as plastering mortar. Changes in the chemical composition, cellulose crystallinity and degree of polymerization of the fibers were found. The recycled fibers of lower quality showed heterogeneity in the fiber sizes (width and length), and they had greater surface roughness in comparison to high purity wood pulp samples. The high purity fibers (cellulose content > 80.0 percent) had greater crystallinity and more homogeneous and smooth surfaces than the recycled fibers. The presence of calcite and kaolinite in all of the recycled cellulosic fibers samples was confirmed, whereas only one wood pulp sample contained calcite. The influence of the chemical composition was reflected in the fiber density values. Changes in the chemical composition and cellulose structure of the fibers affected the specific surface area, porosity and thermo physical properties of the fibers. More favorable values of thermal conductivity were reached for the recycled fibers than for the wood pulp samples. Testing the suitability of the recycled fibers with inorganic impurities originating from the paper-making processes for their use as fillers in plastering mortars (0.5 wt.% fiber content of the total weight of the filler and binder) confirmed their application by achieving a compressive strength value of 28 day-cured fiber-cement mortar required by the standard as well as by measured more favorable value of capillary water absorption coefficient.

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