Building a Sustainable Future from Theory to Practice: A Comprehensive PRISMA-Guided Assessment of Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) for Construction Applications

Aditya Raj, Tarun Sharma, Sandeep Singh (), Umesh Sharma, Prashant Sharma, Rajesh Singh, Shubham Sharma (), Jatinder Kaur, Harshpreet Kaur, Bashir Salah, Syed Sajid Ullah and Soliman Alkhatib
Additional contact information
Aditya Raj: Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, India
Tarun Sharma: Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, India
Sandeep Singh: Department of Civil Engineering, University Center for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, India
Umesh Sharma: Department of Civil Engineering, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University), Chandigarh 160012, India
Prashant Sharma: Department of Civil Engineering, GLA University, Mathura 281406, India
Rajesh Singh: Department of Research and Innovation, Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, India
Shubham Sharma: Mechanical Engineering Department, University Center for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, India
Jatinder Kaur: Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Chandigarh Engineering College Jhanjeri, Mohali 140307, India
Harshpreet Kaur: Lovely School of Architecture, Planning and Design, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar 144411, India
Bashir Salah: Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Syed Sajid Ullah: Department of Information and Communication Technology, University of Agder (UiA), N-4898 Grimstad, Norway
Soliman Alkhatib: Engineering Mathematics and Physics Department, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo 11835, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-35

Abstract: Compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEBs) offer a cheaper and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional building materials for construction. In addition to addressing waste disposal difficulties, the inclusion of waste additives may improve the characteristics of compressed earth blocks (CEBs). This article attempts to outline the findings of researchers who have utilized the various manufacturing processes and investigated the influence of binders and fibers on the properties of CEBs. A systematic search of Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases for works on soil blocks published between 2012 and 2022 yielded 445 articles, while reports, case studies, conference papers, and non-English articles were omitted. Keywords such as “Soil blocks”, “Earth bricks”, and others were used to identify eligible studies. This study has been segmented into five sections, including a descriptive examination of articles and authors who have investigated soil blocks, a comparative analysis based on their manufacturing processes, and physical, mechanical, and durability aspects of the CSEBs, which were analyzed to determine the impact of additives. The PRISMA 2020 standards were followed in the evaluation of each record, which resulted in the identification of 61 articles that were pertinent to the study’s objective. The comparative analysis of the articles reveals that the binders were more significant in improving the compressive strength, cyclic wetting-drying and erosion (durability) aspects of the soil blocks, while fibers were effective in enhancing their flexural and thermal performance. The literature review indicates that if the minimum permissible limits are met, waste materials have the potential to partially replace the soil. In addition, this study suggests establishing standardized manufacturing norms and testing protocols to ascertain the quality and safety of CSEBs used in construction. However, this study is constrained by the limited databases used, governed by keywords, electronic resources and timeframe that could be used as research avenues in the future.

Keywords: binder; CEB; CSEB; compressed earth block; compressed stabilized earth block; fiber; industrial waste; soil block; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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