Thesis (BS Architecture) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2015

The study incorporated cellulosic fibers from waste papers (WP) and agro-wastes in the production of drywall boards. These agro-wastes were extracted from rice and banana crops that are locally and highly cultivated in Mindanao to produce banana fiber (BF) and rice straw (RS). These bio-waste products contribute to the world?s environmental issues and can be addressed by diverting these wastes into valuable products with productive reuse. The focus of the study was to explore the thermal conductivity (k-value) and thermal resistivity (R-value) in the production of the drywall boards (DB) using bio-waste cellulosic fibers. In the production of DB, plaster of Paris was used as binder and perlite powder as fillers. With respect to plaster/perlite/fiber ratio using percentage by weight, there were six (6) formulations were used in the study, namely P-1, P-2, WR, WB, RB, WRB. The following are the obtained R-values for each formulation during testing: ¬P-1 (0.36 h-ft2-°F/BTU), P-2 (0.49 h-ft2-°F/BTU), WR (0.83 h-ft2-°F/BTU), WB (0.67 h-ft2-°F/BTU), RB (0.88 h-ft2-°F/BTU), and WRB (0.68 h-ft2-°F/BTU). Moisture and water absorptivity were also determined. Among the six (6) formulations, RB showed significant result having an R-value of 0.88 h-ft2-°F/BTU when compared with commercially available building boards used as drywall boards. The following are the common drywall boards in the market and their R-values: fiber-cement board (0.19 h-ft2-°F/BTU), hardboard (0.69 h-ft2-°F/BTU), ordinary plywood (0.62 h-ft2-°F/BTU), medium-density particle board (0.52 h-ft2-°F/BTU), and gypsum wallboard (0.45 h-ft2-°F/BTU). In theory, a higher R-value means that the material can lower the amount of heat gain inside the room. Hence, the material is energy efficient. Based from the research findings, in architectural application, bio-waste drywall board (BWDB) is highly recommended in low-traffic spaces. Because of being lightweight and an easy-to-install material, this may be applied in high-rise residential projects. For further research, properties of materials such as mechanical, deterioration, and acoustical properties can be examined. Moreover, for further testing, fire and water proofing of the material can be explored.