Developing Affordable Cool Roof Tiles from Construction Waste for Thermal Insulation in Hot Climates: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Cool roofs are advanced/high-tech.approaches to improving the energy efficiency of buildings.The study develops a novel cost-effective cool roof tiles using Construction Waste (CW) materials to address both thermal insulation and sustainability challenges in hot climate regions.Six tile mixtures were fabricated using varying proportions of silica fume, glass waste, terrazzo powder, and marble chips, combined with white cement through a hand-molding process.Among these, a tile-comprising 40% cement, 40% terrazzo powder, and 20% glass waste-exhibited the best thermal performance, achieving a low thermal conductivity of 0.215 W/mK.This marks a 10-50% improvement over previously reported waste-based tiles while maintaining mechanical integrity with a compressive strength of 23.3 MPa, and a water absorption rate of 13.58%.The study demonstrates that integrating CW into tile production offers a sustainable, affordable alternative to conventional roofing materials, contributing to energy efficiency and circular economy practices in the built environment.