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

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.