Manufacture and characterisation of prototype straw bale insulation products

This paper presents the development and characterisation of prototype wheat straw bales that have been produced specifically for use as a building insulation material. The use of straw bales still remains niche in the wider construction market. Whilst traditional straw bales can be used for either loadbearing or non-loadbearing applications, it is their thermal resistance that is of greatest benefit to building performance. There is great potential to significantly improve the thermal resistance and mechanical performance of straw bales for construction by reconfiguring the baling process to orientate the straws preferentially, and also produce bales sizes more suited for contemporary construction practices. Laboratory scale baling equipment has been developed to produce prototype bales with straws optimally orientated for thermal resistance. In a novel study Computer Tomography has been applied to investigate the internal structure and orientation of agricultural and prototype straw bales. The mechanical properties and thermal conductivity performance of novel straw bales are characterised. Changing orientation of the individual straws can improve thermal resistance by up to 28%, facilitating thinner walls, and enabling greater uptake of a novel low embodied carbon bio-based material into mainstream construction.</p

Manufacture and characterisation of prototype straw bale insulation products

International audienc

Comprehensive Characterization of Agricultural By-Products for Bio-Aggregate Based Concrete

The valorization of available agricultural by-products is important for the development of bio-aggregate based concretes as eco-friendly solutions for building materials. However, their diversity requires to assess their potential of use in vegetal concretes. This study aims to propose simple and relevant multi-physical characterization methods for plant aggregates. Basic and complementary characterizations were carried out on hemp shiv as a reference plant aggregate, and nine by-products available in the South-West part of France, i.e., oleaginous flax shiv, sunflower pith and bark, coriander straw, wheat straw, wheat chaff, corn shuck, miscanthus stem and vine shoot. The basic characterizations performed were those recommended by the TC-RILEM 236 BBM, i.e., particle size distribution, bulk density, water absorption and thermal conductivity. Complementary characterizations have also been proposed, taking into account the possible environment of the binder and the vegetal concrete manufacturing method. The additional tests developed or adapted from previous research assess the following properties: the content of water-soluble compounds at pH 7 and 12, the dry density of plant aggregates compacted in wet state, the real water absorption after compaction and the compression behavior of these compacted aggregates. This complete characterization highlights the distinct behavior of the different agroresources and allows to correlate these characteristics to the use properties of hardened composites

Thermal insulation blocks made of sunflower pith particles and polysaccharide-based binders: influence of binder type and content on their characteristics

Co-product of sunflower cultivation, pith of stem has a little exploited insulating potential. Blocks in which pith particles are glued together using a starch-based binder have already been obtained. However, they are highly water-sensitive. Replacing this binder with others has been considered here. Polysaccharide-based binders were tested, chosen for their more hydrophobic character: sodium alginate, chitosan, Citrus pectin, and a modified starch. Like starch, these binders are physically binding. They are first solubilised in water (except chitosan, dissolved in 2% acetic acid). The solution is then mixed with pith particles before cold compression molding for 90 s. A 10% binder content was initially considered. The blocks were all cohesive with a dry density from 36 to 42 kg/m3). Their performances were assessed through water absorption capacity and resistance via capillary absorption tests on wet sponges, mechanical test and thermal conductivity. Chitosan and pectin-based blocks show the best properties, particularly concerning water resistance and mechanical properties. The pectin-based block has improved its elastic modulus by 40% compared to a starch-based block. The pectin-based block in its case absorbs 2.7 times less water than starch. Finally, thermal conductivities of pectin and chitosan-based pith blocks are in the same order of magnitude as for starch (39.8-40.1 mW/m.K), and close to values from commercial materials (e.g., polystyrene). Pectin and chitosan were also tested at three rates (5%, 10% and 15%). A significant improvement in the blocks' compressive strength was observed with the increase in binder rate, while thermal conductivities varied little

Formulation and characterization of unfired clay bricks with plant aggregates

La construction est l'un des secteurs de l'industrie les plus polluants. C'est la raison pour laquelle développer l'usage de matériaux de construction durables est un intérêt majeur. La terre crue est de plus en plus étudiée en tant que matériau de construction pour son faible impact environnemental, son abondance ou ses capacités à réguler l'humidité intérieure, améliorant ainsi le confort de l'occupant. Pour optimiser certaines de ses performances, des fibres ou granulats végétaux sont incorporés à la terre depuis des millénaires. Toutefois, les études scientifiques n'ont débuté qu'il y a une trentaine d'années, laissant une marge importante de compréhension du matériau. Actuellement, l'ajout de matière végétale peut s'effectuer par le biais de la valorisation d'agroressources, qui permet par ailleurs de piéger du dioxyde de carbone au sein des briques. Cette thèse, qui s'inscrit dans le cadre du projet Bioterra financé par l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), a pour objectif de contribuer au développement d'un matériau à base de terre crue et de granulats végétaux, pour une utilisation sous forme de briques. Après une caractérisation approfondie de différentes ressources végétales (paille d'orge, chènevotte et rafle de maïs), une approche comparative des propriétés d'usage et de la durabilité des matériaux composites est réalisée. Une étude sur la disponibilité des bio-ressources en France a montré que les coproduits de l'agriculture utilisés dans ce travail de recherche sont disponibles en quantités importantes, bien que leur utilisation pour l'alimentation humaine ou animale soit prioritaire. Les résultats des essais expérimentaux ont montré que les résistances mécaniques sont diminuées avec l'ajout de végétaux, mais que la ductilité est améliorée. La paille, grâce à sa forme allongée, donne toutefois de meilleurs résultats que les autres agroressources. En ce qui concerne les propriétés hygrothermiques, la conductivité thermique est améliorée et la capacité de sorption de vapeur est légèrement augmentée. Toutefois, la terre seule étant très perméable à l'eau, l'ajout de particules végétales n'a pas d'effet bénéfique sur la perméabilité apparente des composites à la vapeur d'eau. Finalement, les granulats végétaux améliorent certains critères de durabilité comme la résistance à l'impact ou l'érosion à l'eau, mais limitent la résistance à l'abrasion. Vis-à-vis de la résistance au feu, les bio-composites, bien que contenant une quantité importante de matière ligno-cellulosique, sont toujours incombustibles. Ils sont toutefois transformés avec la cuisson de la terre et la consumation des végétaux. Enfin, l'étude de la prolifération de micro-organismes a abouti à la mise en place d'une méthodologie expérimentale. L'incorporation de paille semble faciliter l'apparition de moisissures par rapport à la terre seule. Néanmoins, la prolifération apparaît uniquement dans des conditions optimales de 30°C et 93% d'humidité relative après inoculation de souche d'Aspergillus brasiliensis. L'addition de différentes ressources végétales dans une matrice de terre améliorera donc certaines propriétés d'usage mais en dégradera d'autres. La formulation du matériau composite (nature et dosage en granulats végétaux notamment) sera donc conditionnée par sa destination dans le bâtiment. Un compromis devra être trouvé entre les différentes propriétés.Construction is one of the most polluting sectors of industry, and this is why developing sustainable building materials is of world-wide interest. Earth is being increasingly studied as a building material because of its low environmental impact and its abilities to regulate indoor moisture and to improve the building occupants' comfort. Plant aggregates and fibers have been incorporated into the earth matrix for thousands of years to enhance its performance, but scientific studies began quite recently. Nowadays, the addition of renewable resources can be achieved with agricultural by-products, thus allowing carbon dioxide to be captured. As part of the Bioterra project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), this thesis has the objective of contributing to the development of earth-based materials containing plant aggregates that can be used in bricks. After an extensive characterization of the different plant resources, namely barley straw, hemp shiv and corn cob, a comparative study of the use and durability properties of the composite materials is made. A survey of the production and use of bio-resources in France showed good availability of the resources studied in the present research, although they are primarily used as human food and animal litter. In the experimental tests, a decrease of the mechanical strength was observed with the addition of plant aggregates. However, the ductility of the bio-composites increased. Thanks to its elongated shape, straw is the plant aggregate that gives the best results. Concerning hygrothermal properties, thermal conductivity is reduced and the vapor sorption capacity is slightly increased. Nevertheless, earth alone is very permeable. The addition of plant aggregates thus brings no benefit concerning the apparent water vapor permeability. Finally, plant aggregates improve some durability criteria, such as impact or erosion resistance, but limit abrasion resistance. With regard to fire, bio-composites are still not combustible, even if they contain a significant quantity of lignocellulosic matter. They are, however, transformed with firing, when the earth is fired and the plant material smolder. Lastly, the study on microbial growth contributed to the development of an experimental methodology. The incorporation of straw seems to facilitate mold growth in comparison with earth alone. However, proliferation appears only in the worst conditions: for material subjected to a temperature of 30°C and a relative humidity of 93%, after inoculation with Aspergillus brasiliensis strain. To summarize, the addition of different plant aggregates in an earth matrix improves some properties but deteriorates others. The formulation of a composite material (particularly the nature and the content of the plant aggregate) will thus depend on its intended use in the building. Therefore, a compromise has to be found among the different properties

Preliminary study of the mechanical and hygrothermal properties of hemp-magnesium phosphate cements

WOS:000369190800006International audienceThe use of bio-based materials in the construction field is of great interest to society and the scientific community because of its highly sustainable character. They are formed by plant fibres and a binder, usually cement, lime or pozzolanic additives. Among the new vegetable fibres used, hemp-based biomaterials have attracted great attention in the recent years due to its excellent thermal and hygroscopic properties. However, they present a very low mechanical performance, which has intensified the search for better alternatives. In this research, the use of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) as binder with different hemp additions (8%, 12%, 16% and 20% by weight) was evaluated. Thus, a new material made of hemp and MPC (heMPC) was developed. According to the results obtained, the heMPC could be used in floor or pre-cast structural applications since it presented enhanced mechanical (sigma(max) = 0.714 +/- 0.11 MPa with a 20 wt.% of hemp content) and thermal (lambda(D) = 0.103 W . m(-1) . K-1, density = 600 kg . m(-3)) properties with respect other lime-based hemp biomaterials. Furthermore, the material exhibited good hygroscopic properties (water absorption by capillarity). Accordingly, this preliminary study allowed opening a new research line in the use of hemp bio-composites, in which other important properties are currently under investigation. The MPC used as a binder in this study was formulated with a by-product from the MgO industry, which increases the sustainability and recyclability criteria of the material developed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved