Thermophysical characterization of surgical masks for possible reuse in building refurnishing

The aim of this paper is the investigation on the possibility to reuse end-of-life household materials (EoLHM) for building indoor comfort improvement. the thermal point of view. The focus of the study is on the so-called “surgical face masks”, a material largely available that could be reused for the realization of building panels to support the circular economy and to make alternatives to commercial insulation materials available to disadvantaged people. The thermal properties of this material are experimental analyzed, and results show its thermal and hygrometric behavior is. First, the thermal conductivity of the material has been measured according to the UNI EN 12086, ISO 8301, UNI EN 12667 e UNI EN 12664, and different sample densities have been analyzed. Then, also the vapour permeability has been measured according to the UNI 10351.The results show that the thermal conductivity of the surgical face masks is a decreasing function of the sample density and is comparable to values of commercial insulating materials; however, the material is not perfectly impermeable.