Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) Biomass as Substitute for Expanded Polystyrene in Bonded Leveling Compounds

Biomass for non-food applications is considered as a substitute for petro-based materials such as expanded polystyrene (EPS). This research analyzes physical properties of an EPS containing commercial bonded leveling compound (BLC) which was substituted with cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) biomass. Cup plant is a high-yielding biomass plant with several ecological benefits that is yet mainly used for biogas production. Furthermore, the high amount of parenchyma in senescent biomass with its EPS-like structure could be a possible substitute for petrochemical foams in lightweight aggregates. The natural variation in parenchyma content of several European cup plant accessions is promising, regarding the development of cultivars with suitable biomass properties for the proposed material use. Two binders with different proportions of cup plant and EPS were used to produce samples of BLC for thermal conductivity and compression strength tests. The compression strength of 0.92 N mm−2 and a thermal conductivity of 84 mW m−1 K−1 were analyzed and comparable to the commercial BLC. The thermal conductivity within the tested borders appears nearly independent of the biomass content. With increasing cup plant content, the shape characteristics of the lightweight aggregate mix changes towards more elongated aggregates. The mechanical strength and thermal conductivity are highly sensitive to the water demand of the biomass. Direct partial substitution of EPS by cup plant appears feasible and could be a part of the decarbonization of the construction sector.