Beyond efficiency: Engineering a sustainable low-tech cementitious binder for earth-based construction
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Date
2022-12
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
The low environmental impact of earth – or soil – materials makes them interesting alternatives to lower CO2 emissions from the construction sector. Nevertheless, since they are often stabilized with Portland cement, the improvements in technical performance come at an environmental cost. In this paper, we revisit a vernacular stabilization technique to formulate a trass-gypsum-lime binder aiming at increasing strength and reducing environmental impact. To do so, we tailor the binder reaction product assemblage and make use of local low-footprint raw materials. The increase in the trass content in the binder – at the expense of the content of gypsum hemihydrate – resulted in improved hydrated phase assemblage, i.e., ettringite, C-A-S-H, higher compressive strength, and lower carbon footprint. An additional strength gain was obtained by adding a low sucrose dosage to the binder, which ultimately resulted in an optimized strength/impact relation. This approach offers a new perspective on the engineering of binders for earth-based construction.
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Publication status
published
Editor
Book title
Journal / series
Volume
162
Pages / Article No.
106973
Publisher
Elsevier
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Binder formulation; Earth construction; Stabilization; Hydration; Environmental impact
Organisational unit
03972 - Habert, Guillaume / Habert, Guillaume
02655 - Netzwerk Stadt u. Landschaft ARCH u BAUG / Network City and Landscape ARCH and BAUG