Biobased sound absorptive panel system design and development using fruit seeds

In order to reduce the carbon footprint due to currently applied sound absorptive materials in the building construction field, alternative sustainable systems are investigated in this research. By re-using the waste fruit seeds that are abundant in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, a composite panel system is developed to be applied in buildings as a fine finish surface, like a wall or ceiling panel. The raw material is composed of various fruit seeds, including cherry, watermelon, olive, etc. The tree resin is combined with wood fire ash as a natural adhesive. The efficacy of the adhesive property is the subject of biological adhesive research. Wood glue is utilized as an alternative to other adhesive materials; it is considered more efficient in material production due to its practicality and accessibility. The varied combinations of seeds, tree resin, and wood glue have been tested through impedance tube measurements, and sound absorption coefficient data are acquired. To test the efficiency of produced samples, one with the maximum sound absorption performance is tested in the design studio at Bilkent University based on the data obtained, which is a current acoustic problem due to very high reverberance. An acoustical model is generated replicating the problematic studio, and the panel system is tested through ray-tracing simulations. On the generated studio model, the panel system is applied to specific surfaces, and reverberation times for the current and adjusted state of the studio is compared. The results indicate that the panels out of seeds combined with proper adhesives have a potential to be applied as a sound absorptive decorative system in various architectural spaces.