Bibliometric analysis on the use of natural fibers in construction materials

Received: February 2nd, 2021 ; Accepted: August 3rd, 2021 ; Published: August 30th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] to the increasing interest of the population in the sustainability theme, there was a consequent growth in publications related to the theme in the area of civil construction. Agroindustrial waste has become an environmental problem, and with that natural fibers have found space in the reuse of waste due to its characteristics and possibilities of improving the mechanical properties of its products. In order to achieve sustainable construction demand, along with the need to reuse waste, studies have begun to analyze the application of natural fibers in construction materials. The documents provided by the Web of Science (WOS) database through research carried out with the search for the terms ‘Natural Fibers’ and ‘Building materials’ restricted to the period 2010–2020 in the main WOS collection. The institutions involved with the publications, the countries of origin of the documents, the year of publication, the keywords used by the authors and the number of citations for each document were analyzed using bibliometrics in the VOSVIEWER (VOS) software. The result of the analysis shows an increase in documents related to the theme over the years, and that the countries with the most studies in the area are China (16), USA (14) and Brazil (11), respectively. The results presented after analysis of the keywords show that natural fiber (61 occurrences), mechanical properties (44 occurrences) and composites (31 occurrences) are the words with the highest occurrence among the analyzed documents. The present study shows the growth of research related to the theme, in addition to discriminating countries, institutions and authors, which allows monitoring the scientific expansion of the theme and guiding future studies

Quality of life and social support of the patients of continued care units of Algarve

This study assessed the relations between quality of life and social support network of patients in continuing care units in Algarve, using WHOQOL-BREF and ASSIS. Participants were 92 users of ages between 34-101 years: very elderly (40.2%), female (58.7%), widows (40.2%), upper-middle class (46.8%), cohabiting with spouse (43.2%), and partly dependent (72.5%). Emotional, tangible and informational support networks were mainly composed by family. We found significant associations between informative social support and physical domains, social relations and environment of quality of life (p< 0.05). The results suggest middle levels in self-perception and satisfaction with health, and lower levels in physical domain. Informational support needs were negatively associated with psychological and social relations dimensions of quality of life

Life cycle assessment (LCA) in construction materials – Review

Received: January 7th, 2024 ; Accepted: March 16th, 2025 ; Published: May 15th, 2025 ; Correspondence: [email protected] construction industry is one of the most impactful sectors in terms of natural resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, demanding more sustainable and efficient solutions. This study systematically reviews the applicatication of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate sustainable materials and practices within the construction sector, emphasizing the replacement of tradicional materials with recycled, bioeconomic, and low-carbon alternatives. A systematic review was conducted using the Scopus database, covering studies published between 2020 and September 2024. The methodology included the use of VOS viewer software to generate keyword co-occurrence maps, aiding in the identification of emerging trends and patterns. Key findings indicate substantial environmental benefits from incorporating industrial wastes, agricultural by-products, and bioeconomic materials, demonstrating substantial reductions in CO₂ emissions, energy consumption, and natural resource usage. The analysis also highlights emerging technologies, such as 3D printing and nanotechnology, as innovative tools that further enhance sustainability in construction. However, challenges persist, including limited availability of reliable regional data, methodological complexities, and gaps in integrating socio-economic variables into LCA analyses. This paper contributes to advancing sustainable construction by identifying critical gaps and challenges, proposing strategies for improved data collection, recommending enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, and suggesting increased governmental support and regulatory frameworks to promote broader adoption of LCA in industry practices