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Eco-Design and New Inorganic-Based Composites in a More Sustainable Construction

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2023) | Viewed by 5076

Special Issue Editors

Universidad de Extremadura, Instituto Universitario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Territorial Sostenible (INTERRA), Cáceres, Spain
Interests: recycling and waste materials in material-based cements; recycled concretes; alternative binders; durability; civil engineering; service life design; new interfacial transition zone in recycled concretes; life cycle assessment; real applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Interests: nonconventional materials; innovative construction; alternative binders; fiber cement composites; vegetable fiber; bamboo for construction; sustainability; durability; rural construction; residue recycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, the construction sector has attempted to respond to the socioeconomic changes experienced in society, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) promoted by the United Nations. This environment has aroused the interest of the scientific and research community, which has focused its efforts on the development and innovation of “eco-design” tools and inorganic-based composites that reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions from the construction. This is in addition to moving toward a “zero waste” construction in which the structural and durable safety of structures in the field of civil engineering and building is not compromised. Along these lines, this Special Volume is being organized on “Eco-Design and New Inorganic-Based Composites for a More Sustainable Construction”.

The main topics of interest in this Special Volume will be i) life cycle analysis of the new composites; ii) new practices in the eco-design of buildings; iii) new raw materials from industrial by-products applied in construction; iv) cements with low clinker content based on industrial and agroforestry waste; v) durable behavior of new composites; vi) “smart” composites with self-healing properties; and vii) building information modeling (BIM) in construction projects.

We particularly invite contributions from academic and industrial fellows interested in research, development, and innovation on eco-design in the construction and development of inorganic-based composites that allow achieving a sustainable and durable construction in the current context of circular economy. The aim is for this Special Issue to be able to be used in graduate and undergraduate courses, such as Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Material Science, Biosystems Engineering, and Architecture.

Prof. Dr. César Medina Martínez
Prof. Dr. Holmer Savastano Junior
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • eco-design
  • building
  • self-healing cement-based materials
  • building information modeling
  • sustainability
  • circular economy
  • new binders
  • recycled industrial waste
  • recycled agroforestry waste
  • life cycle assessment
  • performance
  • smart materials
  • phase-change materials
  • durability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2953 KiB  
Article
Physical and Mechanical Behavior of New Ternary and Hybrid Eco-Cements Made from Construction and Demolition Waste
by Moisés Frías, Manuel Monasterio and Jaime Moreno-Juez
Materials 2023, 16(8), 3093; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16083093 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 931
Abstract
Construction and demolition waste (CDW) currently constitutes a waste stream with growing potential use as a secondary raw material in the manufacture of eco-cements that offer smaller carbon footprints and less clinker content than conventional cements. This study analyzes the physical and mechanical [...] Read more.
Construction and demolition waste (CDW) currently constitutes a waste stream with growing potential use as a secondary raw material in the manufacture of eco-cements that offer smaller carbon footprints and less clinker content than conventional cements. This study analyzes the physical and mechanical properties of two different cement types, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement, and the synergy between them. These cements are manufactured with different types of CDW (fine fractions of concrete, glass and gypsum) and are intended for new technological applications in the construction sector. This paper addresses the chemical, physical, and mineralogical characterization of the starting materials, as well as the physical (water demand, setting time, soundness, water absorption by capillary action, heat of hydration, and microporosity) and mechanical behavior of the 11 cements selected, including the two reference cements (OPC and commercial CSA). From the analyses obtained, it should be noted that the addition of CDW to the cement matrix does not modify the amount of water by capillarity with respect to OPC cement, except for Labo CSA cement which increases by 15.7%, the calorimetric behavior of the mortars is different depending on the type of ternary and hybrid cement, and the mechanical resistance of the analysed mortars decreases. The results obtained show the favorable behavior of the ternary and hybrid cements made with this CDW. Despite the variations observed in the different types of cement, they all comply with the current standards applicable to commercial cements and open up a new opportunity to improve sustainability in the construction sector. Full article
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16 pages, 2898 KiB  
Article
Fiber Reinforced Compressed Earth Blocks: Evaluating Flexural Strength Characteristics Using Short Flexural Beams
by Peter Donkor, Esther Obonyo and Christopher Ferraro
Materials 2021, 14(22), 6906; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14226906 - 16 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2011
Abstract
There are ongoing research efforts directed at addressing strength limitations of compressed earth blocks (CEB) that inhibit their deployment for structural applications, particularly in areas where masonry systems are regularly subjected to lateral loads from high winds. In this paper, the authors focus [...] Read more.
There are ongoing research efforts directed at addressing strength limitations of compressed earth blocks (CEB) that inhibit their deployment for structural applications, particularly in areas where masonry systems are regularly subjected to lateral loads from high winds. In this paper, the authors focus specifically on the extent to which polypropylene (PP) fibers can be used to enhance the flexural performance of CEB. Cementitious matrices used for CEB production exhibit low tensile and flexural strength (brittle) properties. This work investigates plain (unreinforced) and fiber-reinforced specimens (short flexural beams) with fiber mass content of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0% and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) content of 8%. The influence of the inclusion of fiber was based on tests conducted using the Standard Test Method for Flexural Performance of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (ASTM C1609). Material properties that were quantified included first-peak strength, peak strength, equivalent flexural strength, residual strength, and flexural toughness. There was an observed improvement in the performance of the soil-fiber matrixes based on these results of these tests. It was also observed that when the fiber content exceeded 0.6% and above, specimens exhibited a deflection- hardening behavior; an indication of improvement in ductility. An equivalent flexural strength predictive model is proposed. Full article
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17 pages, 2747 KiB  
Article
Retention of Pollutants Elements from Mine Tailings of Lead in Geopolymers for Construction
by Juan María Terrones-Saeta, Jorge Suárez-Macías, Ana María Castañón, Fernando Gómez-Fernández and Francisco Antonio Corpas-Iglesias
Materials 2021, 14(20), 6184; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14206184 - 18 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1288
Abstract
The construction sector is one of the most demanding sectors of raw materials in existence today. As a consequence, the extraction of these materials has a significant impact on the environment. At the same time, mining activities produce a series of wastes, in [...] Read more.
The construction sector is one of the most demanding sectors of raw materials in existence today. As a consequence, the extraction of these materials has a significant impact on the environment. At the same time, mining activities produce a series of wastes, in some cases with polluting elements, which must be treated to avoid pollution. Therefore, the use of mining waste for the conformation of new construction materials is an important environmental advantage, even more so when such waste is prevented from producing polluting leachates. Therefore, in this research, geopolymers are developed with mine tailings from the Linares lead mines, chemically activated with potassium hydroxide. For this purpose, different percentages of the alkaline activator were tested and the physical and mechanical properties of the conformed materials were evaluated. The analysis of the different conformed geopolymers determined the optimum percentage of potassium hydroxide for conforming the geopolymer with the best mechanical and physical properties. In addition, the concentration in the leachate of potentially contaminating chemical elements in the mining waste was estimated to be lower than those regulated by the regulations. Consequently, this research shows the development of a sustainable material for construction with mining waste and reduction of the environmental impact of traditional products. Full article
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