Use of Natural-Fiber Bio-Composites in Construction versus Traditional Solutions: Operational and Embodied Energy Assessment.

Carmen Galan-Marin,Carlos Rivera-Gomez,Antonio Garcia-Martinez

doi:10.3390/ma9060465

Abstract

During the last decades natural polymers have become more and more frequent to replace traditional inorganic stabilizers in building materials. The purpose of this research is to establish a comparison between the most conventional building material solutions for load-bearing walls and a type of biomaterial. This comparison will focus on load-bearing walls as used in a widespread type of twentieth century dwelling construction in Europe and still used in developing countries nowadays. To carry out this analysis, the structural and thermal insulation characteristics of different construction solutions are balanced. The tool used for this evaluation is the life cycle assessment throughout the whole lifespan of these buildings. This research aims to examine the environmental performance of each material assessed: fired clay brick masonry walls (BW), concrete block masonry walls (CW), and stabilized soil block masonry walls (SW) stabilized with natural fibers and alginates. These conventional and new materials are evaluated from the point of view of both operational and embodied energy.

Highlights

Spain is, among other countries, a signatory of the United Nations Commission on SustainableDevelopment (CSD)
Energy in buildings can be categorized into two types: firstly by energy for the maintenance/servicing of a building during its useful life, namely operational energy (O.E.) and, secondly, by energy capital that goes into production of a building using various building materials, named embodied energy (E.E.)
The results showed that accounting for energy intensities and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensities is becoming an essential step in proper understanding of the energy usage structure

Summary

Introduction

Among other countries, a signatory of the United Nations Commission on SustainableDevelopment (CSD). Around 20% of the total impacts are related to manufacturing, construction, demolition processes, and final disposal of building materials, elements and systems [3], but the operational energy is, in many cases, considered the most significant aspect. Energy in buildings can be categorized into two types: firstly by energy for the maintenance/servicing of a building during its useful life, namely operational energy (O.E.) and, secondly, by energy capital that goes into production of a building using various building materials, named embodied energy (E.E.). Study of both types of energy consumption is required for a complete understanding of building energy needs. Alternative building technologies, Materials 2016, 9, 465; doi:10.3390/ma9060465 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials

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