Development of coconut coir-based lightweight cement board

This paper presents investigation conducted in Thailand on the development of coconut coir-based lightweight cement boards (CCB). These boards were made from coconut coir, cement and water. They are intended to be used as building components for energy conservation. The investigations focused on parameters, mainly, fiber length, coir pretreatment and mixture ratio that affect the properties of boards. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the specimens were determined after 28 days of hydration. Results of this study indicated that the best pretreatment of coir fibers was to boil and wash them as it can enhance some of the mechanical properties of coir fiber. The optimum fiber length was 14 cm fraction, and optimum (cement: fiber: water) mixture ratio by weight was 2:1:2. The produced CCBs satisfied most recommended mechanical standards. In addition, investigation on thermal property of specimens revealed that coconut coir-based lightweight cement board has lower thermal conductivity than commercial flake board composite. That is an important feature to promote the use of CCB's as energy saving material in buildings. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.