Performance Assessment of Giant Reed-Based Building Components

Rosa Caponetto, Massimo Cuomo, Maurizio Detommaso, Giada Giuffrida (), Antonio Lo Presti and Francesco Nocera ()
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Rosa Caponetto: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Massimo Cuomo: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Maurizio Detommaso: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Giada Giuffrida: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Antonio Lo Presti: L.A.P.I.S. Laboratorio Analisi Petrografiche e Indagini Strumentali, 101/B, Via della Regione, 95037 Catania, Italy
Francesco Nocera: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: The growing concern for the reduction of energy needs and the environmental impact of the building sector has placed emphasis on the possibilities offered by natural materials. The adoption of agricultural by-products seems to be promising and in line with the circular economy paradigm. Materials such as hemp and straw have been extensively adopted in contemporary construction, but nevertheless, the potential use of giant reed has not been sufficiently investigated despite being a common infesting plant abundantly available all over the planet. This work focuses on the performances assessment of lime/cement–reeds mixtures as base materials to design a new line of building components (bricks, blocks, panels and loose insulation) that can be used both in new bio-based construction and in existing buildings for energy-efficiency retrofit. The main materials used in the experimental campaign are giant reed by-products, lime, cement and local and recycled aggregates. The evaluation of the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of lime–reed and cement–reed composites are presented. The results of thermal conductivities (between 0.245 and 0.191 W/m K) and mechanical properties (compressive strengths between 0.848 and 1.509 MPa, and flexural strengths between 0.483 and 0.829 MPa) allow meeting the requirements for non-bearing and thermal building blocks. The outcomes show how blocks made with the abovementioned lime–reed mixture have good mechanical performance and thermo-physical behavior when compared to conventional building materials such as hollow clay or hemp blocks with the same thickness.

Keywords: giant reed; cement–reed composites; lime–reed composites; performances assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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