Submit to Applied Sciences Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 13904

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Fernanda Andreola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Engineering "Enzo Ferrari", University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: materials engineering; ecological engineering eco-compatible building materials; ceramics materials; circular economy; waste recovery/recycling and valorization; lightweight aggregates; rheology of concentrated suspensions; sintering process

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fragility of the environment observed in the last years has necessitated a change in mentality oriented towards sustainable development. In this context, the circular economy is the answer given by EU Commission to make the European economy greener and more competitive, the objective being to achieve high resource efficiency, zero waste and zero emissions.

An important possibility is given by new eco-compatible materials, manufactured with lower energy consumption than conventional methods, which are not dangerous for the environment and human health. The optimization of eco-compatibility is added to classic criteria of technical performance and economic viability.

In this Special Issue, we welcome innovative proposals regarding eco-compatible materials for construction (cement, lightweight aggregates, ceramics as floor and wall tiles, bricks, roof tiles, green roofs, insulating materials, paints, and additives, etc.) and relative manufacturing technologies and properties. Original research and review papers are accepted involving engineers, architects, materials scientists, and multidisciplinary researchers.

The main topics of the Special Issue are:

Eco-compatible materials in building total or partially composed by waste or by-products with performance similar or better than those obtained by conventional methods;
Building materials that improve the energy performance of the buildings and decrease maintenance costs;
Sustainable manufacturing technologies to obtain building materials.

Dr. Fernanda Andreola
Guest Editor

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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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-compatible materials
green buildings
waste recycling
energy saving
sustainable technologies

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

29 pages, 22277 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Temperature and Pore Pressure Distribution of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Slabs Exposed to Elevated Temperatures

by Chao-Wei Tang

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(20), 10317; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app122010317 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1273

Abstract

Concrete has good fire resistance. However, once exposed to rapidly increasing temperatures, concrete may suffer from thermal stress-induced spalling or pore pressure-induced spalling. Compared with normal-weight concrete (NWC), lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) has a low thermal conductivity and is more prone to cause a higher temperature gradient under the action of high temperatures. This poses a hidden concern to the fire safety of general LWAC structures. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the temperature and the pore pressure distribution of LWAC slabs under one-dimensional heating tests and to compare them with NWC slabs. The test variables were the moisture content of the specimen (oven-dried and air-dried), target temperature (600 and 800 °C), and heating rate (5 and 10 °C/min). The temperature and the pore pressure distributions were measured separately by thermocouples and pressure gauges embedded in different positions of the specimen. The test results show that the maximum pore pressure (P_max) of the LWAC slabs was generally higher than that of the NWC slab at a distance of 10 mm from the heated surface when the specimen was in an oven-dried state. However, at 30 and 50 mm from the heated surface, the P_max of the NWC slab tended to be higher. This shows that the P_max distribution of the LWAC slab was closer to the heated surface when the specimen was in an oven-dried state, while the P_max of the NWC slab occurred further from the heated surface. Further, as the heating rate increased, a higher pore pressure was generated inside the specimen and the pressure rose more rapidly. In particular, at a target temperature of 800 °C and a heating rate of 10 °C/min, the corner spalling phenomenon appeared on the air-dried LWAC slab. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Lightweight Aggregates Made from Waste—Applying the Circular Economy

by Manuel Uceda-Rodríguez, José Manuel Moreno-Maroto, Carlos Javier Cobo-Ceacero, Ana B. López-García, Teresa Cotes-Palomino and Carmen Martínez-García

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1917; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12041917 - 12 Feb 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2627

Abstract

The application of Life Cycle Assessment in the construction sector can be a very useful tool to reduce the environmental impact generated by the sector. In order to quantify the improvement in environmental terms with the use of artificial lightweight aggregates (LWA) manufactured with waste, in this work, we conducted a comparative evaluation of the life cycle of LWAs for a total of five different scenarios: LWAs obtained in a traditional way, i.e., using exclusively clay in their manufacture (Spanish blond clay, Portuguese red clay and Portuguese blond clay), and LWAs manufactured with four different wastes, with a partial substitution of 2.5% for each of the clays per waste (almond and hazelnut shells, sludge from the purification of paper money, cork dust and coffee grounds). The functional unit was set as the production of 1 kilo of lightweight aggregates and the CML 2000 methodology and the SimaPro software were used. The results obtained in this research allow us to conclude that the addition of organic wastes showed a slightly higher environmental performance than the conventional system, the ALAs manufactured with almond and hazelnut shells being the most environmentally friendly option, with reductions of more than 30% in some cases, followed by the LWAs manufactured with coffee grounds. On the other hand, the addition of paper sewage sludge and cork dust represents minimal environmental optimization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 13464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Commercial Screed Mortar with Low OPC Content by Incorporation of Biomass Fly Ash

by Marinélia N. Capela, David M. Tobaldi, Luís A. C. Tarelho, Maria P. Seabra and João A. Labrincha

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9630; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11209630 - 15 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1448

Abstract

Substitute Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) by biomass fly ash (BFA) reduce the environmental impact produced by cement-based materials, and at the same time, decreased the economic and environmental burden associated with the landfilling of this waste. This study aims to evaluate the recycling of BFA as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in a commercial screed mortar formulation. Two BFA varieties, both resulting from fluidized bed combustion of forest residues, were used to replace 17, 50, and 67 wt.% of OPC. The influence of simple pre-treatment processes of the BFA, such as sieving and grinding, in the fresh and hardened state properties of the mortars, was evaluated. The BFAs were characterized in terms of chemical (XRF) and mineralogical (XRD) composition, particle size distribution (laser diffraction-COULTER) and morphology (SEM). The prepared formulations were characterized in terms of workability, mass loss upon curing, bulk density, sorptivity (by immersion and capillary), flexural and compressive strength and durability to 25 freeze–thaw cycles. Both of the BFAs are potential SCMs. Substitution of 17 wt.% OPC with BFA complied with the product technical requirements for compressive and flexural strength (10 and 3 MPa, respectively), with the ground and sieved and just sieved BFAs perform slightly better than the as-received BFA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 1209 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recycling Construction and Demolition Residues in Clay Bricks

by Chiara Zanelli, Elena Marrocchino, Guia Guarini, Alice Toffano, Carmela Vaccaro and Michele Dondi

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 8918; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11198918 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2063

Abstract

In recent years, the management of construction and demolition residues (CDRs) has become a major challenge for the construction industry due to the increasing volume of waste produced and its associated environmental impact. The aim of this article is to assess the effect of fine-grained fractions (<0.125 mm–0.6–0.125 mm) of construction and demolition residues, obtained by industrial sorting in a CDR processing plant in Rovigo (Italy), on the technological behavior and technical performance of clay bricks. Simulating the brickmaking process on a laboratory scale, it was appraised whether the CDR additions determined any change in the main properties of both fired and unfired bricks, taking a CDR-free brick body as a reference. The results indicated that the use of CDR is technologically feasible. It is possible to obtain, through proper crushing and sorting operations, grain-sized fractions with quite homogenous chemical and mineralogical composition. The residues did affect the compositional properties, porosity and water absorption of the clay bricks. Nevertheless, the characterization of the residual-added semi-finished and fired products highlighted their good technological and mechanical properties, which allowed them to provide performances similar to those of standard bricks manufactured with raw natural materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 2365 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Alkali-Activated Mortars Modified by Epoxy-Carbon Fiber Composites Wastes

by Andrea Saccani, Stefania Manzi, Grazia Totaro and Isabella Lancellotti

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 6110; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11136110 - 30 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1427

Abstract

Short chopped fibers coated by epoxy resin of different length (5 to 10 mm length) were added at low volume content (about 4.6% on the composite) to alkali-activated fly ash or metakaolin mortars. These uncured scraps derive from the production of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites and they are not presently recycled, despite their outstanding mechanical properties. The workability, microstructure, porosity, and physical and mechanical properties (mainly flexural strength) of the derived materials were investigated. Superior flexural strength and increased toughness were obtained. An acid treatment of the scraps further improved the mechanical properties of the mortars by changing the chemical structure of the surface, thus increasing the interaction with the inorganic phase. These results foster the use of these wastes to improve the performance of low carbon footprint building materials such as alkali-activated composites in the building industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4231 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Production of Porous Ceramic Materials from Spent Fluorescent Lamps

by Egle Rosson, Acacio Rincón Romero, Denis Badocco, Federico Zorzi, Paolo Sgarbossa, Roberta Bertani, Paolo Pastore and Enrico Bernardo

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 6056; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11136056 - 29 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1867

Abstract

Spent fluorescent lamps (SFL) are classified as hazardous materials in the European Waste Catalogue, which includes residues from various hi-tech devices. The most common end-of-life treatment of SFL consists in the recovery of rare earth elements from the phosphor powders, with associated problems in the management of the glass residues, which are usually landfilled. This study involves the manufacturing of porous ceramics from both the coarse glass-rich fraction and the phosphor-enriched fraction of spent fluorescent lamps. These porous materials, realizing the immobilization of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) within a glass matrix, are suggested for application in buildings as thermal and acoustic insulators. The proposed process is characterized by: (i) alkaline activation (2.5 M or 1 M NaOH aqueous solution); (ii) pre-curing at 75 °C; (iii) the addition of a surfactant (Triton X-100) for foaming at high-speed stirring; (iv) curing at 45 °C; (v) viscous flow sintering at 700 °C. All the final porous ceramics present a limited metal leaching and, in particular, the coarse glass fraction activated with 2.5 M NaOH solution leads to materials comparable to commercial glass foams in terms of mechanical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3493 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Eco-Compatible Construction Materials Containing Ceramic Sludge and Packaging Glass Cullet

by Fernanda Andreola, Isabella Lancellotti, Paolo Pozzi and Luisa Barbieri

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3545; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11083545 - 15 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1879

Abstract

This research reports results of eco-compatible building material obtained without natural raw materials. A mixture of sludge from a ceramic wastewater treatment plant and glass cullet from the urban collection was used to obtain high sintered products suitable to be used as covering floor/wall tiles in buildings. The fired samples were tested by water absorption, linear shrinkage, apparent density, and mechanical and chemical properties. Satisfactory results were achieved from densification properties and SEM/XRD analyses showed a compact polycrystalline microstructure with albite and wollastonite embedded in the glassy phase, similar to other commercial glass-ceramics. Besides, the products were obtained with a reduction of 200 °C with respect to the firing temperatures of commercial ones. Additionally, the realized materials were undergone to leaching test following Italian regulation to evaluate the mobility of hazardous ions present into the sludge. The data obtained verified that after thermal treatment the heavy metals were immobilized into the ceramic matrix without further environmental impact for the product use. The results of the research confirm that this valorization of matter using only residues produces glass ceramics high sintered suitable to be used as tile with technological properties similar or higher than commercial ones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Eco-Compatible Materials in Buildings

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (7 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI