Ice and Sawdust as Insulation?

Overview

Objectives/Goals My experiment is to determine if sawdust, mixed with water, and froze; act's as a better insulator than regular ice. My hypothesis is that the combined mixture will act as an insulator and create a barrier against the outside air. Wood is a natural insulator in other environmental applications and I believe that if a barrier is created the core temperature will be maintained for a longer period of time. Methods/Materials Two identical 1 gallon plastic milk cartons, cut in half, are filled with the same portions of water. In one of the water filled milk cartons 1000ml. of sawdust is added to the container. Each holds a smaller (500ml.) container, filled with 200ml of water in the middle of the carton. This creates a capsule of air within the water to be frozen. Therefore, an area is formed to take the temperature with two identical digital thermometers at thirty minute intervals for eight hours. Results The container filled with ice and sawdust, became colder, and lasted longer than the pure, untreated ice. Conclusions/Discussion In conclusion, I proved my hypothesis is correct. The sawdust filled container stayed colder. I discovered that inside the sawdust and water ice capsule, I could keep things colder for longer periods of time. Sawdust does insulate ice!

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Materials Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1223

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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