Low-Carbon Bio-Concretes with Wood, Bamboo, and Rice Husk Aggregates: Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Wall Systems

Arthur Ferreira de Araujo, Lucas Rosse Caldas, Nicole Pagan Hasparyk and Romildo Dias Toledo Filho ()
Additional contact information
Arthur Ferreira de Araujo: Teaching and Research Center for Low Environmental Impact Materials and Technologies in Sustainable Construction (NUMATS), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-611, Brazil
Lucas Rosse Caldas: Teaching and Research Center for Low Environmental Impact Materials and Technologies in Sustainable Construction (NUMATS), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-611, Brazil
Nicole Pagan Hasparyk: Eletrobras Furnas, Av. Graça Aranha, 26, Rio de Janeiro 20030-000, Brazil
Romildo Dias Toledo Filho: Teaching and Research Center for Low Environmental Impact Materials and Technologies in Sustainable Construction (NUMATS), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-611, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-24

Abstract: This study evaluates the carbon footprint of three bio-concrete families—wood (WBC), bamboo (BBC), and rice husk (RHBC)—and their application in wall components (as blocks and as boards). A cradle-to-grave, carbon-focused Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to compare these bio-concretes to conventional masonry and industrialized light-framing solutions. Each bio-concrete family incorporated biomass volumetric fractions of 40%, 45%, and 50%, using a ternary cementitious matrix of cement, rice husk ash, and fly ash (0.45:0.25:0.30). Sensitivity analyses examined the impacts of transport distances and the parameters affecting biogenic carbon storage, such as carbon retention periods in the built environment. The carbon footprint results demonstrated a significantly low or negative balance of emissions: WBC ranged from −109 to 31 kgCO 2 -eq./m 3 , BBC from −113 to 28 kgCO 2 -eq./m 3 , and RHBC from 57 to 165 kgCO 2 -eq./m 3 . The findings emphasized the importance of ensuring bio-concrete durability to maximize biogenic carbon storage and highlighted the environmental advantages of bio-concrete wall systems compared to conventional solutions. For instance, BBC boards replacing fiber cement boards in light-framing systems achieved a 62 kgCO 2 -eq./m 2 reduction, primarily due to the production (A1–A3) and replacement (B4) stages. This research outlines the emission profiles of innovative materials with the potential to mitigate global warming through circular construction, offering a sustainable portfolio for designers, builders, and AECO professionals seeking non-conventional solutions aligned with circular economy principles.

Keywords: biomaterial; life cycle assessment (LCA); biogenic carbon; carbon capture and storage; climate change mitigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2176/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2176/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2176-:d:1604115

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().