Binderless Acoustic Panels From Rice Straw Pulp With Tunable Fiber Architectures

The trend for eco‐friendly products is driving the usage of green materials in building applications, including sound absorption panels. This study aims to utilize natural pulp fibers extracted from rice straw waste to create binderless acoustic panels, using three forming processes: wet fibers (W), dry fibers (D), and a combination of wet and dry fibers (DW) in varying depths. Because the amount of water use in the three forming processes was regulated, the 20 mm thick panels exhibited significant differences in fibrous porosity architectures and varied degrees of fiber‐to‐fiber bonding, resulting in distinct physical characteristics and sound absorption. The W panel was stiff, while the D panel achieved exceptional sound absorption. The DW panel, on the other hand, coupled the benefits of high rigidity with superior sound absorption across a wide frequency range. The current DW panel, with a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) up to 0.92, outperformed other natural fiber‐based panels and most commercial synthetic fiber materials (NRC 0.10–0.95). A “cradle‐to‐gate” life cycle assessment confirmed that these natural pulp panels have a significantly lower carbon footprint (50% less) than petroleum‐based synthetic counterparts, highlighting their potential as an excellent green acoustic material for noise management in buildings and construction.