Assessment of the thermal performance of a new insulation material based on date palm and cardboard: Experimental and numerical study

The building sector offers significant potential for reducing consumption and emissions, thanks in particular to the availability of numerous, varied and effective technical solutions. The present study examines the thermal performance of an exterior building wall in the arid climate of the city of Errachidia, south-east Morocco, in the presence of a biobased insulation material made from date palm wood. Experimental data was collected and a numerical model based on the finite difference method was developed and validated. The model was employed to calculate annual cooling and heating loads, considering variations in wall orientation and insulation thickness. Additionally, an economic model was employed to conduct a life cycle cost analysis (LCCA). The results obtained indicate that the optimum insulation thickness ranges between 11 and 14 cm, resulting in energy savings of 10.02-26.46 $/m2 and payback periods of 2.29-4.08 years. Furthermore, the use of these optimum thicknesses leads to a substantial average reduction of 80% in annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These results highlight the potential of the bio-based insulation material in achieving both energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for the building sector.