Biomass conversion into blow-in heat insulation materials by steam explosion.

The study of converting grey alder (Alnus incana) chips and silver birch (Betula pendula) flakes - residues from plywood manufacture - into blow-in insulation material by steam explosion (SE) is reported. The SE was conducted at temperatures between 200 and 235°C, for 0-5 min at pressures between 16 and 32 MPa. The severity parameters (logR0) of the SE was calculated, from which logR0≈3.6 was the most appropriate for production of blow-in materials. Thermal conductivity of the obtained insulating material was found to be in the range of 0.053-0.057 W m-1·K-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]