Use of agro-wastes in building materials in the Mediterranean area: a review

Abstract

In the recent years, the environmental issues i.e. pollution and energy consumption foment an increasing interest and the resulting regulations led the construction field to focusing on the thermal insulation. The insulation materials commonly used in building constructions are mainly realized using non-renewable materials and this provoke problems in reusing or recycling the products at the end of their lives. Moreover, the production of these materials often requires high-energy consumptions. The development and the application of bio-based insulation materials can contribute to minimize the environmental impacts of buildings reducing the energy demand both during the construction and the use. For this reason, these kinds of materials are developing very fast, although they are still at a very early stage. Among the biomasses used, the agro-residues can have an interesting role because their use allows the revaluation of agricultural wastes, whose disposal is another serious issue. This work aims to report a state of the art of some building insulation products available in the Mediterranean context made of agro-wastes such as cereal straw, hemp and olive waste.