Abstract:
Energy consumption in buildings is enormous. This is expected to increase further due to improved standard of living globally and the increasing rate of world population. Hence, the urgent need for energy-efficient building design in every country of the world is clear. However, building designs in Nigeria seem to have placed more emphasis on the aesthetic values with little or no consideration for energy efficiency through thermal insulation. Among the extensive applications of glass ceramic foam is its use as a thermal insulation material in buildings. This study, therefore, explores the viability of glass-ceramics foam production from domestic and industrial wastes for cost-effective thermal insulation of buildings in Nigeria. The materials that were used in this study include granite dust, ball clay, sawdust, plantain peel, corn cob, caustic soda (NaOH) and sodium silicate (water glass). The chemical compositions of the sourced raw materials were determined using X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF). One-step sintering foaming method of glass ceramic foam production was used in this study due to low cost of processing and ease for mass production. The homogenized powder of the formulated composition was poured into the mould and uniaxiallly pressed. The pressed samples were sintered in a gas kiln at 8000C for 3 hours. The performance properties of the sintered samples which include water absorption, compressive strength, bulk density, apparent porosity and thermal conductivity were tested. The crystalline phases as well as the microstructural properties of the developed samples of glass-ceramic foam fired at 8000C were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Stereomicroscopy. Inferences were drawn from the outcome of the experimental tests to choose the optimum sample of the developed glass-ceramic foam for the production of ornamental wall claddings. Computer-aided design (CAD) software such as CorelDraw and Cinema4D was used to generate ornamental designs and 3D models respectively. The produced designs were used to develop a mould of 300mm x 300mm x 50mm. The powdered materials formulated were poured into the fabricated mould and wall cladding slab were produced using press casting. The produced wall cladding slab was sintered in the gas kiln up to 8000C. This research can be adopted as a policy document for government on energy efficient buildings in Nigeria on using low cost and effective thermal insulation materials.
