Environmental Friendly Construction Material Research Articles

Production and technical performance of scrimber composite manufactured from industrial low-value wood for structural applications

Development of scrimber composites and other engineered wood products from low-value wood and wood waste provides an effective opportunity to preserve natural resources, minimize waste, and innovate the production of higher-performance, environment-friendly construction materials. In this study, peeler cores, which are the center of poplar logs remaining after the peeling process in the veneer production, were utilized to develop scrimber composites. This study investigated the effects of different resins, including phenol-formaldehyde (PF) and urea formaldehyde (UF), as well as hydrothermal treatments at various temperatures (60 °C and 130 °C), on the physical and mechanical properties of the scrimber composites. Chemical changes in wood components and morphological changes in wood cell walls resulting from hydrothermal treatment were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To clarify how resin type and hydrothermal treatment affect structural performance, several physical and mechanical properties of scrimber composites, including thickness swelling, water absorption, internal bond strength, bending modulus of elasticity, and modulus of rupture, were measured. The test results revealed that hydrothermally treated wood scrims at 130 °C, when bonded with PF resin, produced scrimber composites with superior structural performance.

Thermo-Physical Analysis of natural fiber reinforced phenol formaldehyde biodegradable composites


 
 
 
 Natural fiber reinforced composites are composite materials which contain reinforced fibers from natural sources. Natural fiber composites can provide an effective and renewable solution for environment-friendly construction materials. For example, building insulation materials which are made of natural fibers can improve energy efficiency and reduce material waste generation. The fibers used in these composites are extracted mainly from plant sources such as bamboo, jute, sisal, and flax. Natural fibers have excellent mechanical and energy-dampening properties, making them ideal for manufacturers looking to replace traditional synthetic fiber reinforcements. They are also gaining popularity as replacements for plastic and metal components in many consumer goods. In this paper desert plant prosopis juliflora fibers were used as reinforcement in phenol formaldehyde resin to make composites. TGA, DSC and DMA were performed to analyze the change in thermal stability and mechanical properties of the prosopis juliflora fiber reinforced phenol formaldehyde composites. The alkali-treated fibers were prepared by immersing the PJ fibers in a 1% sodium hydroxide solution for 24 hours. The fibers were washed and dried before being mixed with the phenol formaldehyde resin. The composites were prepared with untreated and alkali-treated reinforced fibers. All specimens were left to cure at room temperature over night.
 
 
 

Development of alkali activated paver blocks for medium traffic conditions using industrial wastes and prediction of compressive strength using random forest algorithm

Geopolymer is an environment friendly construction material that could be synthesized using either the natural source or the industrial byproducts such as flyash and GGBS. The characteristics of the Geopolymer rely on the proportion of the flyash and GGBS and the concentration of the activator solution used. In this research work, the effect of partial replacement of flyash with GGBS in proportions such as 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% is investigated. Also Molarity of NaOH are tested from 8 to 14 M and both the parameters are optimized. In this optimized Geopolymer concrete, the utilization of iron slag as a partial substitute for river sand in various proportions such as 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 35, 40 and 45% are investigated. The optimized Geopolymer concrete with iron slag is investigated for its performance as a paver block with incorporation of banana fiber in proportions such as 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 and is compared with conventional cement concrete paver block. The results show that there is a significant enhancement in the properties of Geopolymer concrete with the different levels of optimization and the utilization of natural banana fiber. The developed sustainable paver block was found to with stand medium traffic conditions as per IS 15658:2006. Further this study employed random forest (RF) algorithm for the prediction of compressive strength of geopolymer concrete specimens for the variable parameters such as molarity of alkaline solution, Flyash/GGBS ratio and partial replacement of river sand with iron slag. The performance evaluation parameters represented high accuracy of developed RF model. This research work unleashes a heft potential of Geopolymer concrete to develop economical eco-friendly sustainable paver blocks to the society through mitigation of environmental strain on the ecosystem.

Sustainable Eco-Friendly Building Material – A Review Towards Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks and Fire Burnt Clay Bricks

The aim of the current research article is to provide a comprehensive review and discuss and conclude on two types of earth blocks i.e., stabilized compressed earth blocks and fire-burnt clay bricks. A direct correlation exists between the number of greenhouse gases emitted and the amount of coal used to manufacture the fire-burnt clay bricks. To address this issue, new construction materials have been developed. Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEBs) is an enhanced earth-based masonry material as it is not burnt. CSEBs are manufactured by compressing the soil under pressure. Coal and other burning fuels are not used at any point in the manufacturing process of CSEBs. Environment-friendly and energy-efficient construction materials that encourage the sustainable development have grown significantly in the recent years, as the public have become highly conscious. Since the building materials are produced in local communities, the local resources are efficiently used, transportation costs get reduced and high-quality housing is made available to a large spectrum of people. Less time-consuming construction techniques and low labour demand results in increased strength, insulation and thermal characteristics, lower carbon emissions and embodied energy during the life cycle of the materials and exceptionally low levels of trash that can be easily disposed of. When locally-produced materials are used for building purposes, it creates jobs and is more eco-friendly, during the times of crisis. CSEB and conventional bricks require different amounts of energy and release significantly different amounts of carbon dioxide throughout the production process. A review of the construction process that utilizes clay bricks and CSEBs has been conducted using the data and reports from numerous research papers and organizations. According to this review, the Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks outperform the fire-burnt clay bricks in terms of advantages. When it comes to creating new environment-friendly construction materials, the CSEBs remain a viable option.

Fresh properties and flexural strength of 3D printing sustainable concrete containing GGBS as partial cement replacement

The most extensively used construction materials in the world are cement, mortar, and concrete. GGBS is an alternative to Portland cement that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly and has been recognized as an environmental-friendly construction material. It can also be used as a substitute or as a supplementary to cement, which can help promote sustainable development globally. On the other hand, 3D printing concrete is a revolutionary concrete building process that is developed by many research institutes and companies across the world. Some of the benefits of 3D printing concrete are the use of materials is optimized, reduce labour cost, fast construction and able to construct customized buildings. However the study about 3D printing concrete materials needs more extensive works in order for the materials to fulfill the criteria of 3D printing concrete properties. Therefore, this study tends to explore some of the materials properties of 3D printing concrete. The objective of this study is to investigate the fresh properties and flexural strength of 3D printing concrete containing GGBS as partial cement replacement and to evaluate the optimum percentage of GGBS as partial cement replacement in 3D printing concrete. The percentage replacement of GGBS that was carried out in this study was 0%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% with a 0.5 w/c ratio. Extrudability, flowability, buildability, and flexural strength tests were performed. From the experimental results, it shows that 30% of GGBS replacement recorded the highest flexural strength. The mix also performs well in extrudability and buildability test.

Opportunities of using nanocellulose in construction materials

Numerous efforts have been made to mitigate the negative impacts of the production of construction materials on the environment. A reduction in the usage of virgin raw materials and the utilization of the waste materials or the biobased materials are examples of these efforts. However, a potential threat to the environment persists. Bacterial nanocellulose shows promise as a further way to produce environment-friendly construction materials.

Influence of Fibers on Fresh and Mechanical Properties of (FRC) Fiber Reinforced Concrete, A Step Towards Sustainability

Abstract Mostly used material is concrete which has versatile quality for construction works. Fibrous concrete have significant factor that improve the scale and value to concrete for humid environments with significant role. Day by day abundant demand and use of concrete is increasing. It is considered as a 2nd largest building material due to the major productivity. By the use of fibrous concrete, some bonding and environmental issues have been addressed. Keeping in this view, an experimental based study is conducted to evaluate the strength of fiber reinforced concrete at different percentages 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%. All percentages are added by the weight of concrete with all fibers. In this connection, one hundred and fifty-three cylinders of five mixes are prepared. Workability checked of fresh concrete during the pouring of concrete cylinders. Poured cylinders’ samples are left for different curing ages at 7 and 28 days. One hundred and two cylinders for compression at 7 and 28days but fifty-one cylinders for split tensile test at 28days with all fibers i.e. glass fiber, steel fiber, coconut fiber and polypropylene fiber. After curing, compression and split tensile tests are performed to check the strength of hardened concrete. Workability of five mixes lies between 40-90mm.Fibrous concrete is suitable for humid environment where high strength and voids less concrete are required. Addition of fibers in concrete may improves the strength parameters as well as to increase the bonding and tensile properties of concrete. It reduces the quantity of water to be used in concrete. Also the use of different types of fibers has been proved to be economical and is considered as environmental friendly construction material.

Investigation on the Carbonation Behavior of Alkali-Activated Pastes Served under Windy Environments.

Most reinforced concrete structures serve under windy environments, and the carbonation resistance under that circumstance exhibits significant difference from that under the steady (no wind) environment. In this study, a windy environment was simulated using one self-developed wind tunnel, and alkali-activated slag/fly ash paste specimens were adopted for the carbonation under variant windy environments. Meanwhile, to reveal the effect of inner humidity on the carbonation, sliced alkali-activated materials (AAM) were mass-balanced first to variant humidity, and were then carbonated under a 2.5 m/s windy environment. With the assistance of computed tomography (CT), the structure of AAM at variant carbonation ages was rendered. The experimental result showed that wind is capable of promoting the exchange of moisture between the sample inside and the outer atmosphere, leading to faster carbonation as compared to that under no wind environment. When preconditioned to lower inner humidity, the carbonation rate of AAM was faster because the larger gaseous space benefited the intrusion of both CO2 and moisture. Furthermore, when preconditioned to lower humidity, the cracking extent of AAM was severer, which also contributed to the faster carbonation. Moreover, compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC), the carbonation front on each instant 1D gray-scale value profile was broader, which suggested that the carbonation progress of AAM under windy environments was no longer controlled solely by diffusion. In addition, the gray-scale value on instant 1D profile fluctuated drastically, which verified cracking in AAM carbonated under windy environments. The current work not only deepens the understanding of the carbonation mechanism in-site (mostly under windy environments), but also helps to develop more environment-friendly construction material, with better durability performance.

The Significance Of Agricultural Wastes In The Construction Sector

A variety of problems are now affecting the building business. The two that matter most are the rise in urban population and the decrease in the amount of resources required to make construction supplies. Businesses have also begun to reassess their strategies for producing ecologically friendly construction materials as a consequence of a greater knowledge of climate change. In the development of ecologically friendly construction materials, a variety of agricultural wastes, such as rice husk ash (RHA), sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), and bamboo leaf ash (BLA), have shown to be successful alternatives. In this investigation, six distinct agricultural waste-derived construction materials are investigated. The list includes bio-based polymers, building insulation and reinforcement materials, green concrete, particleboard, bricks, and masonry components. The frequency of usage in current building projects should be the primary factor when choosing materials. The goal of this paper is to look at alternative production methods for eco-friendly construction materials since the ones currently in use have negative environmental consequences. The results of the investigation demonstrated that it was successful to produce environmental friendly construction materials from agricultural waste since the completed products satisfied certain building requirements. Using agricultural products in lieu of traditional building materials is advised in order to achieve long-term economic, environmental, and social security.

Compressive behavior of PET FRP-confined concrete encased CFST columns

Environmental friendly construction materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and high-strength materials such as high-strength steel (HSS) are attracting wide attentions. In this study, a total of ten novel circular PET FRP-confined Concrete Encased Concrete-filled steel tube columns (PFCECs) with a Q690 steel tube and a PET FRP tube are tested to understand their axial compressive behavior, with the investigated variables covering the thickness of the outer PET FRP tube and the diameter ratio. The experimental results demonstrate that the load-carrying capacity of PFCECs with a given inner steel tube increase with an increase in the diameter ratio, but the ultimate axial strains and the residual axial loads do not necessarily increase with the increase of the diameter ratio. In the end, this paper compares the test results against the predictions from two existing models, and the comparisons show that the models give comparatively accurate predictions on the ultimate axial stresses/strains of the core concrete in PFCECs, but they are unable to capture complete axial stress-axial strain responses of the core concrete in PFCECs accurately.

Experimental Investigation on Geopolymer Concrete:- Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Construction Material

The research for the new environmental friendly construction material that will match the durability of ancient concrete has provoked interest into the study of alkali activated cementitious systems over the last two decades. It results in the development of Geopolymer Concrete. This paper represents the development of geopolymer mixes of various ratios of fly ash and GGBS and their mechanical properties were studied. aa Literature review on mechanical and durability properties of geopolymer concrete also been done. The ratio of sodium hydroxide to sodium silicate is 1:2 which is kept a constant to prepare the mix and alkaline liquid to binder ratio as 0.70, but changing the concentration of sodium hydroxide solution as 6M, 4M and 3M to prepare the mix Id. i.e. F75G25, F50G50 and F25G75, respectively (where F and G are Fly Ash and GGBS and the numerical value indicates the percentage of replacement of fly ash by GGBS) were prepared in AML laboratory, CSIR-SERC, Chennai. Ambient curing of concrete at room temperature was adopted.The compressive strength at age of 3, 7 and 28 days were determined. The strength of geopolymer concrete was increased with increase in percentage of GGBS in a mix. It was observed that the mix Id F25G75 gave maximum compressive strength for concentration of NaOH as 3M . Leaching of GPC reduces with increase in percentage of GGBS in a mix. Thus the geopolymer concrete have a relatively higher strength.

A worldwide development in the accumulation of waste tires and its utilization in concrete as a sustainable construction material: A review

The worldwide enhancement in the accumulation of waste tires and associated upcoming environmental and social concerns are becoming the primary intimidations. Waste tires are considered an undervalued resource globally, and their sheer volume is used to be disposed of in landfills, a primary concern. Instead of disposing of waste materials after recycling, the utilization can have a considerable impact. The trend of extracting steel fibers from waste tires is emerging nowadays. Incorporating waste recycled tire steel (WRTS) fibers, obtained from waste tires in concrete is a potential profit-gaining engineering application. But there are still some challenges, like WRTS fibers' suitable volumetric content and length selection, which need to be addressed by having in-depth exploration. Research has been conducted on incorporating reused waste materials in cementitious composites. Concrete ingredients are meant to provide strength, but adding reused waste materials to concrete helps reduce environmental pollution and make it sustainable and economical. In previous literature, the impact of such waste fibers on the key properties of concrete, such as ultrasonic pulse velocity, compressive, splitting-tensile and flexural strengths, energy absorption, modulus of elasticity, toughness, and ductility, were investigated. Adding WRTS fibers to concrete can enhance its compressive strength by more than 10 % and flexural strength by more than 50 %. This paper aims to review the application of WRTS fiber-reinforced concrete to identify the research gap for researchers in this direction. The available research outcomes and the recycling process of WRTS fibers are summarized and discussed. It is concluded that incorporating WRTS fibers in concrete would result in sustainable development by providing economical and environment-friendly construction materials with improved mechanical properties.

Inference of mechanical properties and structural grades of bamboo by machine learning methods

• Characterization of physical and mechanical properties of Guadua angustifolia Kunth (GAK) was conducted. • Pooling of the datasets were performed to undertake a statistical analysis using machine learning (ML) methods. • Regression for mechanical properties were determined based on ML methods based on geometrical and physical properties. • Classification ML methods were used to propose a grading for structural bamboo species such as GAK. Features such as fast–growth rate, high strength–to–weight ratio, high carbon sequestering capability amongst others, make bamboo an excellent alternative environmental–friendly construction material. Therefore, it is very important to establish the most appropriate geometrical and/or physical properties that can be used to infer capacities as well as structural grades for bamboo such as Guadua angustifolia Kunth (GAK). Thus, an extensive experimental characterization of physical and mechanical properties of GAK was conducted by two independent laboratories –with samples from the same plantation in Colombia. Pooling of the two datasets were performed in order to create a larger data and undertake a more rigorous statistical analysis using machine learning (ML) methods. In addition, regression equations of mean and characteristic values for parallel–to–fiber compression, shear and bending capacities, and flexural stiffness were determined based on ML methods employing geometrical and physical properties. Finally, ML methods were used to propose a classification method based on four capacity classes that could enable a simpler grading process for structural bamboo species such as GAK.

Effect of quartz powder on mid-strength fly ash geopolymers at short curing time and low curing temperature

Geopolymers are recommended as an alternative to Portland Cement, which has high CO2 emissions. Geopolymers are a more environment-friendly construction material produced using the precursor aluminosilicate powders. In this context, fly ash rich in SiO2 and Al2O3 is frequently used in geopolymer design. In this study, geopolymers were obtained using different quartz powder proportions (0, 50, 75 and 100%) instead of river sand. The produced geopolymer mixtures were subjected to heat curing at 40–60 and 80 °C for 6, 8 and 10 h. The physical, mechanical, transport and microstructural properties of geopolymers produced at low curing temperature and short curing time were investigated. Within the scope of the experimental study, 36 different geopolymer mixtures were produced. The hardened unit weights of geopolymer mixtures vary between 2170–2250 kg/m3. Unit weights are relatively low since the fly ash content in the mixtures is 1000 kg/m3. The compressive strength (1-day) of geopolymer mixtures varied between 7 and 60 MPa, and flexural strengths varied between 3 and 9.7 MPa. The mechanical properties of the mixtures improve as quartz powder, curing time and curing temperature increase. While the capillary water absorption of geopolymer mixtures cured at 40 °C exceeds 1 kg/m2, the capillary water absorption of mixtures cured at 80 °C is below 0.40 kg/m2. Since the fly ash rate is high in geopolymer mixtures, the alkali activator rate has also increased and therefore, the CO2 emission has exceeded 400 kgCO2/ton. However, as the compressive strength of the mixtures increased, the emission factor decreased. The N-A-S-H and crystal zeolitic phases were formed in the geopolymer matrix, as an observation of SEM, XRD, and FT-IR analysis. Withal, as the quartz powder increased, the crystal phase of the geopolymer matrix increased, also. As a result, it was determined that fly ash geopolymers with 60 MPa compressive strength could be obtained by using quartz powder in a short curing time of 10 h.

Utilization of industrial and agricultural waste materials for the development of geopolymer concrete- A review

Concrete is a highly consumed construction material. Cement is the first and foremost ingredient in the manufacture of concrete. Manufacturing of cement results in emission of an equal amount of carbon dioxide. These greenhouse gases cause global warming. The utilization of environment-friendly construction materials has been identified to be most essential to overcome environmental issues. An ecofriendly concrete such as geopolymer concrete founds to be an alternative for cement concrete. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is a sustainable construction material as it can reduce carbon dioxide emission by utilizing industrial and agricultural waste by-products. Hence in this context, to reduce global warming, usage of cement can be minimized by replacing it with other materials such as Fly ash, Silica fume, Red mud, Ground granulated blast furnace slag, Metakaolin, Rice husk ash, Corncob ash, Sugarcane bagasse ash etc. These materials have been utilized to prepare geopolymer concrete with good mechanical strength, durability and thermal resistivity. A lot of research has gone into the development of sustainable geopolymer concrete utilizing various industrial and agricultural waste. This review paper is on the research on the utilization of industrial and agricultural waste materials to produce sustainable geopolymer concrete.

Discussion on the suitability of dynamic constitutive models for prediction of geopolymer concrete structural responses under blast and impact loading

Compared to ordinary Portland cement-based concrete (OPC), geopolymer concrete (GPC) is an environmental-friendly construction material because it is mixed by replacing Portland cement with industry wastes such as fly ash. Despite intensive researches in the last two decades, application of geopolymer concrete in construction is still rather limited. One of the reasons is the quasi-static and dynamic material properties of geopolymer concrete, which are different from those of ordinary Portland-cement concrete, are not well defined yet, and the available design guides for geopolymer concrete structures are very limited. The existing design guides and dynamic constitutive models for OPC cannot be directly employed in design analysis and numerical modelling of GPC structures subjected to blast and impact loads. This paper first summaries the available dynamic material testing data on GPC, compares them with the widely used dynamic constitutive models for OPC, and discusses the suitability of those models for modelling GPC structures. Then, based on the available GPC material testing data, new material constants for strength model, equation of state and dynamic increase factors are derived for GPC. Finally numerical modellings are carried out using these material models with modifications for GPC material to examine their accuracies in simulating the dynamic responses and damages of structural components made of GPC subjected to blast and impact loads.

Comparative study on using chemical and natural admixtures (grape and mulberry extracts) for concrete

There is a general belief that admixture can improve some important properties of concrete, and different kinds of admixtures are in use worldwide. In the current investigation, a comparative experimental study has been performed on using grape and mulberry extracts as a natural admixture and chemical admixture for concrete. Increasing of workability and reduction in water absorption were observed due to the addition of natural admixtures to concrete. There was an enhancement of concrete compressive strength tested at 3, 7, and 28 days and the 28 days modulus of elasticity as a result of using different admixtures, but reduction of splitting tensile strength was observed. In general, using the two natural admixtures has a beneficial effect to improve both fresh and hardened properties of concrete and they have a superiority on the chemical admixture with regard the cost and producing environmental-friendly construction material.

The impact of the use of new environmentally friendly materials on the management of construction projects: Taking straw fiber materials as an example

With the rapid development of the construction industry, the social economy has experienced a golden period of development, and the construction industry has experienced an unprecedented high rate of growth. Because of its rapid development, the construction industry has contributed to the development of the world economy, but at the same time, there are other problems, such as the construction of houses, roads, and tunnels, which consume much non-renewable energy and release many harmful gases, leading to the greenhouse effect and the rise in global temperature. As non-renewable energy sources continue to be consumed, society’s resources are decreasing, and the earth’s ecological environment is gradually deteriorating. Therefore, in the future of the construction industry, not only its materials in terms of strength, durability, and other aspects of higher requirements, but also on the environment-friendly construction materials more attention, so the project cost control and management of materials play a more critical role. This paper takes straw fiber material as an example through the extraction and preparation of straw fiber and then analyses its material in quality, cost, and construction of the three aspects of the content, derived from the material in the quality, cost, and construction of the three sides of the impact, through the rational and effective use of new environmentally friendly building materials, thus to drive the world’s new green building materials in the development of scientific and technological innovation, while promoting the world’s low-carbon economy in the development of important the role of guidance.

Zero Cement Concrete with Self-Curing Technology: An Overview

Geopolymer concrete is the concept of environmental friendly construction material which helps in reducing the greenhouse gas emission, however it cannot be applied directly on field due to its steam curing process. To overcome this defect various researcher have found self-curing or ambient curing process to achieve same strength as in steam curing process for geopolymer. This paper presents an over review about self-cured or ambient cured geopolymer concrete produced by various methods.

Investigation of the residential building having novel environment-friendly construction materials with enhanced energy performance in diverse climate regions: Cost-efficient, low-energy and low-carbon emission

Novel environment-friendly structural components having high thermal insulation performance were proposed, and their effect on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was investigated in different climate regions for various fuels. The amount of CO 2 and SO 2 emissions of the fuels were calculated. The results show that the proposed component provides an energy saving of 11 kWh/m 2 -year in an insulated building in the 4th region, while a great amount of energy-saving of 31.2 kWh/m 2 -year was achieved without insulation case. The annual energy saving rate reached 21.7%. The parametric analysis results indicate that the maximum performance was achieved for a wall component thickness of 0.21 m for the case of without-insulation. The largest energy-saving occurred for the building using electricity-heating in the 4th region. The annual cost saving reached 3.03 $/m 2 for the electricity case in the 4th region. The highest carbon emission occurred in the case of coal. Natural gas was decided to be the cleanest way of heating. Electricity caused the largest emission after coal in the investigated region. The reduction in the carbon emission reached 18.7 kg-CO 2 /m 2 .year for the coal. The maximum reduction in carbon emission reached 22% for the proposed components. • Analytical investigation was made for residential buildings with enhanced energy performance. • Novel environment-friendly components with high thermal performance were proposed. • Reduction in carbon emissions was investigated in diverse climate regions for various fuels. • An annual energy saving rate of 21.7% was achieved for cold climate regions. • A great reduction of 22% in carbon emission was obtained for various fuels.