Future of clay-based construction materials – A review

Abstract

Sustainability in the manufacture of different construction materials raises many important issues. Nowadays, there is increasing demand for such materials to be produced using environmentally friendly, low energy consuming production methods. This paper presents a review of the current research relating to the use of various production techniques for claybased construction materials. The techniques which will be reviewed are: blending and stabilising, alkali activation (geopolymerisation) and the use of microwave heating as an innovative sintering, curing and drying method. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique will be discussed. Additionally, a comparison between the environmental and economic aspects of the studied production techniques along with some suggestions to improve the sustainability of different production techniques will be discussed.

Physico-chemical and mineralogical characterization of clay materials suitable for production of stabilized compressed earth blocks

“…This is mainly achieved by stabilization with chemical binders such cement, lime, geopolymer as well as by-product materials [6][7]15,18,[24][25][26]. The stabilization of CEBs with by-product materials in partial or full substitution to classic binders not only improves the technical performance but also can potentially improve the sustainability and economic benefits of stabilized CEBs [8,24,[27][28]. The compressive strength of CEBs, considered as an appropriate indicator of the mechanical performance of stabilized CEBs, should be at least 4 MPa and 2 MPa, respectively, in dry and saturated conditions for usage in the construction of load-bearing walls [7,15,21].…”

“…Clay materials for application in construction of modern buildings have been mostly studied for production of fired products such as tiles and bricks [1][2][3][4][5]. The firing process is energy consuming and therefore not environmental-friendly, resulting in relative increase of the cost and embodied energy of the products [6][7][8]. Today, the awareness of the global warming and necessity for energy saving on the one hand and improved indoor comfort provided by unfired clay material on the other hand give this material the potential for construction of sustainable buildings [7,[9][10][11][12].…”

“…Today, the awareness of the global warming and necessity for energy saving on the one hand and improved indoor comfort provided by unfired clay material on the other hand give this material the potential for construction of sustainable buildings [7,[9][10][11][12]. For centuries, unfired clay materials have been used in building construction, in various forms such as adobe (sun dried brick), rammed earth and recently compressed earth block (CEBs), and proved promising to provide affordable and comfortable housing [7][8][9][10].…”

In situ Resource Utilization and Reconfiguration of Soils Into Construction Materials for the Additive Manufacturing of Buildings

“…Kaolinites, talc, and pyrophyllite have been used for centuries for manufacturing bricks, ceramics, tiles, and glazed products. Smectitic clays (such as montmorillonite) combined with natural binders, such as dried straw, are used in traditional adobe bricks (Zhang, 2013;Smith et al, 2016;Shubbar et al, 2019). Although clay minerals are some of the fundamental components of nearly all soils, the clay content of soils usually is less than 50%.…”

Adsorption of lead (Pb) in strongly weathered tropical soil (Ribeira Valley region - Brazil)

“…Researchers have addressed this issue, such as Soares (2004), Morandini and Leite (2015), Almeida (2015), Colzato et al (2018). Cambisols are very common, and the use of local soils in geoenvironmental applications may reduce costs, which is essential, especially in developing countries (Lavagnolo 2018;Shubbar et al 2019). In this context, it is fundamental to perform a detailed study of the soil, covering its physical and chemical characteristics as well as its adsorption capacity.…”