Articles

Attempt to The Valorization of Brown Algae Sargassum sp. in Cement Mortar Composites for Housing or Building Purposes

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In this study, material composites composed of cement and normalized sand as matrix and brown algae Sargassum sp. as reinforcement and/or filler were prepared. When used as reinforcement, algae size was comprised between 0.4 and 1 mm at various amounts (0%, 1% and 2% wt) whereas when used as filler, algae size was lower than 0.4 mm and the content was 0 or 3 wt %. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potentiality of those materials as building materials; consequently, they have been tested after 7 and 28 days of curing by helium pycnometer, thermal conductivity and setting temperature, mechanical measurements and thermogravimetry.

Results show that using brown algae Sargassum sp. as reinforcement of cement decreases by up to 23% compressive performance of matrix, it has a negative influence on thermal conductivity and almost no influence on density. Fillers seem to act as set retarder of cement and to have a synergistic effect (when combined with 2% wt of on the decrease of thermal conductivity.

Thermal Conductivity, Density and Calorific Value of Sargassum Fluitans and Sargassum Natans Species

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In this study, we obtained the values of the thermodynamic properties of sargassum that includes S. fluitans and S. natans species, which are the ones that most arrive at the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean. The sargassum samples, collected at the coast, were dried in a direct type of solar dryer and their final relative humidity was 15% dry base. Two physical models were designed to construct biscuits of 0.0127 m in diameter and 0.0063 m in length, which were used to obtain the density and calorific value and those used for thermal conductivity, were 0.069 m in diameter and 0.008 m thick. The density resulted in . To determine the calorific value, a commercial calorimetric pump was used, and the value obtained was . For thermal conductivity, a device that employs the hot plate and guard method was designed and built and its value was . These values indicate that it is possible to use dehydrated sargassum to produce energy, which has approximately a value of 75% of that obtained for sugar cane bagasse. With these three values and using the thermal diffusivity definition equation, this last parameter was calculated in