Starch-sandstone materials in the construction industry

Abstract

The recent literature on construction research indicates that building materials made from renewable sources are sustainable concrete alternatives that use natural polymers instead of traditional cement, with good mechanical and biodegradable properties. One of the main objectives of this preliminary study is to validate the feasibility and accuracy of a novel technique for the preparation of sandstone building materials that use gelatinized starch as a binder and sand as filler. Different methods of treatment were then applied using conventional and natural coating materials to increase the hydrophobicity of such construction materials in order to achieve the desired durability properties for industrial applications. Based on the classification schemes for all types of civil engineering materials, the test results revealed that these artificial starch-based sandstones behave as polymer - matrix composites with thermoplastic mechanical behavior, however as the starch to sand ratio gets smaller, the plastic zone reduces and the fracture becomes more brittle.