Environmentally friendly acoustic panel design from curtain waste

Using leftover industrial curtain fabrics, this study aims to develop environmentally friendly acoustic panels. In this context, two forms of curtain fabric waste, blackout and dimout, which are segregated as waste from post-production process within Oba Perdesan, are transformed into fiber utilizing mini shredder. The hot press method is used to produce composite samples made of 100% blackout and 50% blackout/ 50% dimout fabric waste in two different thicknesses (0.5 and 1 cm). The thickness, density, basis weight, FTIR, sound absorption coefficient, and sound transmission loss of the manufactured panels are measured. The FTIR analysis reveals the distinctive peaks of the raw materials of the structures, while the acoustic test results show that the sound absorption coefficient and sound transmission loss increase along with the thickness and basis weight of the structures, respectively. While the 1 cm blackout/dimout blend sample has a superior sound absorption coefficient for 2000 Hz with 0.81, the 1 cm 100% blackout sample performs highest with 10dB sound transmission loss. The produced panels aid in solid waste management while consuming minimal raw materials, and an essential step is taken toward the development of sustainable, practical, and decorative panels.