Enhancement of the hygroscopic and acoustic properties of indoor plasters with a Super Adsorbent Calcium Alginate BioPolymer

The present study introduces a novel-composition lime plaster that contains a Super Adsorbent BioPolymer (SABP) based on Calcium Alginate (CaAlg) for indoor applications, to improve hygrothermal and acoustic comfort. The sorption isotherm of the plaster, the moisture buffering value (MBV), the acoustic absorption, and the thermal conductivity have been assessed. The hygrothermal and acoustic properties of the modified plaster have been compared with those of the original composition to evaluate its performance under different concentrations of CaAlg (between 10 and 30% wt). Adding the CaAlg SABP to a conventional lime plaster consistently enhanced its hygroscopic properties. The results show a substantial increase in the equilibrium moisture uptake (between 10 and 23 fold) and MBV, from 0.9 to 9.3 g/(m2⋅%RH). The sound absorption coefficient improved by 0.1–0.2 at higher frequencies than 500 Hz. This paper provides detailed information on the characterization of the material. It includes details about using a dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) analyzer to evaluate the sorption isotherm and MBV. It also contains information on the impedance tube method used to measure the acoustic absorption of the material. [Display omitted] •CaAlg increased the moisture uptake capacity of conventional lime-based mortar.•CaAlg increased the practical MBV of the lime-based mortar from 0.9 to 9.4 g/(m2 %RH).•The sound absorption coefficient increased to 0.25 above 500 Hz.•The volumetric shrinkage of CaAlg generated interconnected cavities during mortar drying.