Thermophysical Properties of Compressed Earth Blocks Incorporating Natural Materials

Chiara Turco, Mohammadmahdi Abedi, Elisabete Teixeira and Ricardo Mateus ()
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Chiara Turco: Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems Associated Laboratory (ARISE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Mohammadmahdi Abedi: Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems Associated Laboratory (ARISE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Elisabete Teixeira: Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems Associated Laboratory (ARISE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Ricardo Mateus: Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems Associated Laboratory (ARISE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Building materials are responsible for significant CO 2 emissions and energy consumption, both during production and operational phases. Earth as a building material offers a valuable alternative to conventional materials, as it naturally provides high hygrothermal comfort and air quality even with passive conditioning systems. However, disadvantages related to high density, conductivity, and wall thickness prevent its effective inclusion in the mainstream. This research explores enhancing the thermophysical properties of compressed earth blocks (CEBs) by using locally sourced natural materials. The study is framed in the Portuguese context and the natural materials involved are wheat straw (WS) as a by-product of wheat harvesting, cork granules (CGs) from bottle caps, and ground olive stone (GOSs) residues from olive oil production. Blocks were produced with different mixtures of these materials and the thermal response was examined in a hot box apparatus. Best results include a 20 and 26% reduction in thermal conductivity for mixtures with 5v.% CG and 10v.% GOS, respectively, and an associated reduction in bulk density of 3.8 and 5.4%. The proposed approach therefore proves to be effective in improving the key thermophysical characteristics of CEBs. The article includes a comparative analysis of the experimental data from this study with those from the literature. The study contributes to the growing knowledge of sustainable materials, providing insights for researchers and practitioners looking for innovative solutions for low-carbon and energy-efficient materials.

Keywords: compressed earth blocks; natural materials; thermal properties; hot box testing; sustainable construction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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