Eco-friendly insulation material production with waste olive seeds, ground PVC and wood chips

The waste of the olive oil production process has been a notably important pollution source in Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey. In recent years, the environmental impact of this type of waste created a rich source, and researchers have been focusing on the treatment of olive oil mill waste. Furthermore, olive seed, waste PVC and wood chips are wastes that cause significant detrimental effects on the environment, following the production stage. In this study, insulation materials containing waste olive seeds, ground PVC, wood chips, plaster and epoxy were produced, and their properties were investigated. The unit weight, water absorption rate, ultrasonic penetration velocity, thermal conductivity coefficient, compressive and flexure strengths properties of the samples were determined. It can be seen from the results that most properties have improved with the addition of the additives, The unit weights of the samples and their thermal conductivity coefficients decreased, thanks to olive seeds, PVC and wood chips. However, the decrease in the unit weight was accompanied by an increase in the water absorption and a decrease in the flexural and compressive strengths of the samples, luckily remaining at acceptable levels for the additive rates in the samples. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.