Effectiveness of Corn Cob as a Thermal Isolation Material

Suhaila Sahat; Nor Farah Atiqah Ahmad; Siti Noor Aiin Mohd Razali; Masiri Kaamin; Mardiha Mokhtar; Nor Baizura Hamid; Norhayati Nyadiman

Authors

Suhaila Sahat Centre for Diploma Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Bandar Edu Hub Pagoh, Pagoh, Malaysia
Nor Farah Atiqah Ahmad Centre for Diploma Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Bandar Edu Hub Pagoh, Pagoh, Malaysia
Siti Noor Aiin Mohd Razali Centre for Diploma Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Bandar Edu Hub Pagoh, Pagoh, Malaysia
Masiri Kaamin Centre for Diploma Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Bandar Edu Hub Pagoh, Pagoh, Malaysia
Mardiha Mokhtar Centre for Diploma Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Bandar Edu Hub Pagoh, Pagoh, Malaysia
Nor Baizura Hamid
Norhayati Nyadiman Centre for Diploma Studies, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Bandar Edu Hub Pagoh, Pagoh, Malaysia

Keywords:

corncob, thermal isolation, heat conductive material, global warming, construction material

Abstract

Each year global warming creates a phenomenon of increased heat in building structures, especially indoor. At present, building constructions apply various new materials which focus only on load-bearing material strength in order to be stronger and more durable. However, in order to achieve these criteria, the materials have to be good thermal conductors. Therefore, in this study, in order to overcome this, an alternative material, namely corncob was studied to determine its effectiveness as a thermal isolation material. Dried corncob was ground, glued and compacted in a mold with dimensions of 0.3m x 0.3m x 0.02m to produce a corncob plate. After being dried at 130°C and at room temperature for a day, it was installed on the mini house ceiling. The findings showed that on the third day of experiment, the indoor temperature of the mini house demonstrated a significant difference, where the temperature reading outside and inside the model house showed p-value (of the T-test) of more than 0.05. This proves that the corncob is effective in reducing indoor temperature and it can be an alternative material for thermal isolation.