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Insulation Materials Susceptibility to Biological Degradation Agents: Molds and Subterranean Termites

2023Journal article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorNunes, Lina
dc.contributor.authorDuarte, Sónia
dc.contributor.authorParracha, João Luís
dc.contributor.authorJones, Dennis
dc.contributor.authorPaulmier, Ivan
dc.contributor.authorKutnik, Magdalena
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-04T13:44:01Z
dc.date.available2024-07-04T13:44:01Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractInsulation materials are fundamental for decreasing energy losses and guaranteeing thermal and acoustic comfort in buildings, which may significantly contribute to decreasing the energy consumption related with poor thermal building conditions. These insulation materials should have a low susceptibility to biological degradation agents to decrease the risks of degradation of other construction materials, as well as decrease possible health risks related with the development of noxious biological degradation agents regarding indoor air quality, for example, or decrease possible structural risks posed by those agents. The present study aimed at evaluating the susceptibility of several insulation materials to mold growth and subterranean termites’ attack. Insulation materials, including expanded polystyrene (EPS), mineral wool (MW), and expanded cork agglomerate (ICB), were tested against mold development, using maritime pine as a control. Three types of inoculations were made: (1) natural indoor inoculation; (2) artificial inoculation using Aspergillus niger and Penicillium funiculosum; and (3) artificial inoculation using Aureobasidium pullulans. The susceptibility of the insulation materials referred to, plus wood/glass fiber (WGF), was evaluated for two subterranean termite species: Reticulitermes grassei and Reticulitermes flavipes. The expanded cork agglomerate showed a higher susceptibility to molds than the other insulation materials tested. The remaining materials revealed a good performance, showing no growth or traces of growth of molds. All the materials tested showed susceptibility to subterranean termites, with both species being able to cross them to obtain access to the wood. However, wood/glass fiber showed a negative effect, which translated into lower survival rates and attack degrees of the wood. Some tested materials showed a good resistance to the development of biological degradation agents, namely an organic material (coconut fiber), a composite of organic and inorganic materials (WGF), and an inorganic material (EPS). These results indicate that it is possible to pursue the development of innovative and effective insulation materials with a low susceptibility to biological degradation agents, regardless of their organic or inorganic origin.pt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.citationNunes, L., Duarte, S., Parracha, J. L., Jones, D., Paulmier, I., & Kutnik, M. (2024). Insulation materials susceptibility to biological degradation agents: molds and subterranean termites. "Applied Sciences", 13(20), 11311. DOI:10.3390/app132011311pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/app132011311pt_PT
dc.identifier.eissn2076-3417
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/7084
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherMDPIpt_PT
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/20/11311pt_PT
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/pt_PT
dc.subjectInsulation Materialspt_PT
dc.subjectBiological Degradationpt_PT
dc.subjectMoldspt_PT
dc.subjectFungal Growthpt_PT
dc.subjectSubterranean Termitespt_PT
dc.titleInsulation Materials Susceptibility to Biological Degradation Agents: Molds and Subterranean Termitespt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue20pt_PT
oaire.citation.titleApplied Sciencespt_PT
oaire.citation.volume13pt_PT
person.familyNameRibeiro Nunes
person.familyNamePereira Duarte
person.familyNameParracha
person.familyNameJones
person.familyNameKutnik
person.givenNameLina Maria
person.givenNameSónia Maria
person.givenNameJoão Luís
person.givenNameDennis
person.givenNameMagdalena
person.identifierA-7169-2013
person.identifier930217
person.identifier.ciencia-id2515-2AE7-A765
person.identifier.ciencia-id501C-E814-6167
person.identifier.ciencia-id3E1E-6AEE-7DCE
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-6849-3241
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-7309-5440
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-6214-3400
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-7162-1694
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-5522-5413
person.identifier.scopus-author-id23006201100
person.identifier.scopus-author-id57208393552
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
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