Influence of hygrothermal environment on the thermophysical properties of recycled fiber-based insulation

Influence of hygrothermal environment on the thermophysical properties of recycled fiber-based insulation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Influence of hygrothermal environment on the thermophysical properties of recycled fiber-based insulation Beom Yeol Yun, Yujin Kang, Dongchan Jin, Sumin Kim This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7572187/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in International Journal of Thermophysics → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The increasing demand for sustainable construction materials has motivated research on recycled fiber (RF) insulation derived from textile and banner waste. In this study, RF insulation panels were fabricated by thermal compression without chemical binders at two target densities (150 and 200 kg·m − ³). Their fundamental thermophysical properties—including bulk density, porosity, thermal conductivity, and vapor resistance—were experimentally characterized. The measured thermal conductivity ranged from 0.037 to 0.062 W/m·K, depending on fiber type and density, confirming the sensitivity of thermal transport to moisture-related sorption behavior. Long-term hygrothermal simulations using WUFI were conducted to evaluate moisture accumulation, mold risk, and heat transfer dynamics under the hot-humid summers and cold-dry winters of Seoul, South Korea. Results revealed that RF insulation exhibited strong moisture buffering capacity, with mold indices decreasing below critical thresholds within three years. Compared with expanded polystyrene (EPS), RF insulation required a minimum thickness of 0.15 m to achieve equivalent thermal resistance. To further enhance sustainability, a hybrid wall assembly combining cross-laminated timber (CLT) with RF insulation (CLT_RF) was proposed. Life-cycle analysis indicated a reduction of approximately 17.47 tCO₂-eq in embodied carbon compared to reinforced concrete. Among the tested samples, mixed fiber insulation (M40) achieved the best balance of thermal performance, hygrothermal safety, and environmental benefits. This work highlights the potential of recycled fiber insulation as a thermophysically reliable and environmentally viable material for low-carbon building envelopes. Recycled fiber insulation Textile waste recycling Hygrothermal performance Hybrid cross-laminated timber Sustainable building materials Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in International Journal of Thermophysics → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 13 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 13 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 10 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 09 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7572187","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":514510432,"identity":"8770dfb7-a48f-44b8-9ae2-7e745c4e660f","order_by":0,"name":"Beom Yeol Yun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Institute of Forest Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Beom","middleName":"Yeol","lastName":"Yun","suffix":""},{"id":514510433,"identity":"7f5a9642-bd43-415e-b477-890ecbb2b24a","order_by":1,"name":"Yujin Kang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yonsei University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yujin","middleName":"","lastName":"Kang","suffix":""},{"id":514510434,"identity":"e908b89e-dc71-4dad-84e4-e032adc890e0","order_by":2,"name":"Dongchan Jin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yonsei University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dongchan","middleName":"","lastName":"Jin","suffix":""},{"id":514510435,"identity":"80df5dec-551a-4044-81e3-79ce49690463","order_by":3,"name":"Sumin Kim","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6UlEQVRIie3OvQrCMBDA8ZOMNtTxQqG+glIoPo6hoEtxcXEQKQh2dO3iOwiFzBWhLhHXri5uguCii5j6gVvsKJg/JdeG/uAATKYfDMlzgP36Lg9SjbCoMnm/tLLPpZ6wuB6cadgZeEWQ7y+jDthxRryRhjiECocKHPpFr+9ZEgFll3CpIa4i6kEuitB3ajO1aAFkFelJei5JmoQ+u94Qmt+IWmxZLsaXGPpII4SWIlxH2JQKtlAkkYeeY+VotSWftnUEd9v0dBQTPo+DnF3GE9fdrNdMRz41uo9hAdSqAQA7q/ijyWQy/V13qfZDY1K6J7EAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Yonsei University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sumin","middleName":"","lastName":"Kim","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-09 09:38:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7572187/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7572187/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-025-03655-w","type":"published","date":"2025-10-06T15:58:21+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93419802,"identity":"63c3a6ab-8d0e-4dcc-b575-75b77988e728","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 16:07:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1346543,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7572187/v1_covered_e54172da-6516-47df-b705-22e8613fd91b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Influence of hygrothermal environment on the thermophysical properties of recycled fiber-based insulation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-thermophysics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ijot","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Thermophysics](http://link.springer.com/journal/10765)","snPcode":"10765","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10765/3","title":"International Journal of Thermophysics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Recycled fiber insulation, Textile waste recycling, Hygrothermal performance, Hybrid cross-laminated timber, Sustainable building materials","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7572187/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7572187/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe increasing demand for sustainable construction materials has motivated research on recycled fiber (RF) insulation derived from textile and banner waste. 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