Organized Framework of Main Possible Applications of Sheep Wool Fibers in Building Components
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Building and Land Engineering Section, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
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Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030761
Received: 20 December 2019
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Revised: 13 January 2020
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Accepted: 17 January 2020
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Published: 21 January 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Exploration of Sustainability in Traditional Rural Buildings)
Greasy sheep wool is currently considered a special waste for its high bacterial load, with expensive disposal costs for sheep breeders. For this reason, wool is often burned or buried, with serious consequences for the environment. On the other hand, sheep wool is well regarded as one of the most performative insulating natural fibers due to its thermo-hygrometric and acoustic properties. In the building sector, sheep wool meets the requirements of green building components because it is an eco-friendly material, there is a surplus of it, it is annually renewable, and totally recyclable. If used instead of common insulation materials (e.g., fiberglass, rock wool, polyurethane foam, polystyrene), sheep wool offers significant benefits for sustainability such as a reduction in the production costs for new insulating materials and in environmental pollution. Mechanical and physical properties of sheep wool investigated in previous studies were assessed and discussed with the aim of providing an organized framework of possible applications of wool fibers in building components. This paper highlights in detail aspects that have not yet been investigated enough to detect new potential uses of sheep wool fibers in rural buildings and the reuse of traditional ones.
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Keywords:
agricultural waste management; natural fibers; environmental sustainability; thermal-acoustic insulation
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MDPI and ACS Style
Parlato, M.C.M.; Porto, S.M.C. Organized Framework of Main Possible Applications of Sheep Wool Fibers in Building Components. Sustainability 2020, 12, 761. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030761
AMA Style
Parlato MCM, Porto SMC. Organized Framework of Main Possible Applications of Sheep Wool Fibers in Building Components. Sustainability. 2020; 12(3):761. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030761
Chicago/Turabian StyleParlato, Monica C.M., and Simona M.C. Porto. 2020. "Organized Framework of Main Possible Applications of Sheep Wool Fibers in Building Components" Sustainability 12, no. 3: 761. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030761
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