Utilization of Glass Powder and Oil Palm Fibers to Develop Thermally Efficient Blocks

Increasing concern over environmental issues has put onus on the construction industry to develop products and materials that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This paper focuses on the utilization of oil palm fibers (OPF) and glass powder (GP) to develop thermally efficient building material as a sustainable alternative. OPF are abundantly available in Malaysia as waste in palm oil manufacturing and are found to be useful in enhancing the thermal performance of building material , while waste glass, which contributes to municipal solid waste generation, can be beneficially utilized as a supplementary cementitious material as it possesses pozzolanic behavior. OPF-reinforced blocks were successfully developed with targeted thermal, mechanical and microstructural properties as a sustainable alternative for application in the hot–humid weather conditions in Malaysia. This paper reports on the development of the glass powder–fiber-reinforced mortar (GPFRM) as a final phase of the research in the development of a sustainable thermally efficient wall system. The GPFRM mix was prepared utilizing fibers in ratios of 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% by weight of the binder, whereas GP was incorporated by replacement of 10% and 20% of cement. The developed GPFRM besides having good thermal performance has acceptable mechanical performance, hence proving to be a sustainable alternative to conventional mortar to be incorporated within masonry wall systems.