Reducing the Environmental Impact of Construction by Using Renewable Materials

Lawrence, Michael B.

doi:10.7569/jrm.2015.634105

Cited by 57 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…Bio-based aggregates in the building industry has become popular due to their lower embodied energy, lower CO2 emissions and good hygrothermal properties reducing the energy demands of buildings [1]. Hemp shiv is the woody core obtained from the stem of the hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilient hemp shiv aggregates with engineered hygroscopic properties for the building industry

Hussain

Calabria-Holley

Lawrence

et al. 2019

Construction and Building Materials

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This study focuses on the surface treatment of an extremely hydrophilic natural plant material, hemp shiv, using a functionalised silica based coating to provide hydrophobicity while retaining its moisture buffering ability. The chemical composition and physical structure of bio-based materials results in their extremely hydrophilic behaviour. In this work, a simple one step coating process was used to enhance the water-repellence of hemp shiv without compromising its ability to adsorb and release moisture. The coating modified the morphology and surface roughness of hemp shiv providing a hydrophobic surface having a water contact angle of 118° and reduced the bulk water absorption by 250% over 24 hours. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) showed that the treatment refined the pore size distribution of hemp shiv, reducing the size of larger pores but not completely blocking the smaller pores thereby allowing hemp shiv to buffer moisture. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the chemical composition was modified by the coating, reducing the hydroxyl groups. Hemp shiv aggregates treated with functionalised silica based coating show potential for the development of robust lightweight building materials with enhanced hydrophobicity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilient hemp shiv aggregates with engineered hygroscopic properties for the building industry

Hussain

Calabria-Holley

Lawrence

et al. 2019

Construction and Building Materials

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“…The construction industry has a critical role to play in climate change mitigation, being a significant emitter of GHGs both directly through its activities and supply chains and indirectly through operation of the assets it creates (Giesekam et al, 2016a;Müller et al 2013). In addition to being one of the largest emitters, the built environment is also one of the largest potential stores of carbon dioxide, through sequestration within biogenic building materials (Giesekam et al, 2014;Lawrence, 2015;Sadler and Robson, 2013). At the global scale, it has been suggested that delivering the Paris Agreement would require all new building construction to be carbon-negative or carbon-neutral after 2030 (Rockström et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Briefing: Embodied carbon dioxide assessment in buildings: guidance and gaps

Giesekam

Pomponi

2018

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering

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The construction industry, through its activities and supply chains as well as the operation of the assets that it creates, is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Embodied carbon dioxide emissions associated with the construction of new assets constitute a growing share of whole-life emissions across all project types and make up nearly a quarter of all annual emissions from the UK built environment. Yet these embodied emissions are still rarely assessed in practice, owing to the perceived difficulty and lack of supporting guidance for practitioners conducting an assessment. This briefing paper retraces recent advances in the field of embodied carbon dioxide assessment and highlights existing and forthcoming practical guidance that could support more widespread assessment. The paper constitutes a where-to rather than a how-to, directing assessors towards appropriate resources, of which there are many. Although the paper does highlight some remaining gaps in the field and identifies corresponding research priorities, recent additions to the body of guidance are generally sufficient to support more widespread assessment. Now, the industry must demonstrate its commitment to tackling climate change by using this guidance to drive deeper carbon dioxide reduction.

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“…Biobased materials have numerous advantages over conventional non-renewable building materials such as lower embodied energy, lower CO 2 emissions of buildings and demand for in-use energy can be significantly reduced through passive environmental control [2]. Other advantages of bio-based materials include good specific strength, lower density, economic viability, biodegradability, nonirritant nature and good heat capacity [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modification of hemp shiv properties using water-repellent sol–gel coatings

Hussain

Calabria-Holley

Jiang

et al. 2018

J Sol-Gel Sci Technol

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For the first time, the hydrophilicity of hemp shiv was modified without the compromise of its hygroscopic properties. This research focused on the use of sol-gel method in preparation of coatings on the natural plant material, hemp shiv, that has growing potential in the construction industry as a thermal insulator. The sol-gel coatings were produced by cohydrolysis and polycondensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) using an acidic catalyst. Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) was added as the hydrophobic precursor to provide water resistance to the bio-based material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) have been used to determine the morphological changes on the surface as well as within the hemp shiv. It was found that the sol-gel coatings caused a reduction in water uptake but did not strongly influence the moisture sorption behaviour of hemp shiv. Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows that the coating layer on hemp shiv acts a shield, thereby lowering peak intensity in the wavelength range 1200-1800 cm −1 . The sol-gel coating affected pore size distribution and cumulative pore volume of the shiv resulting in tailored porosity. The overall porosity of shiv decreased with a refinement in diameter of the larger pores. Thermal analysis was performed using TGA and stability of coated and uncoated hemp shiv have been evaluated. Hemp shiv modified with sol-gel coating can potentially develop sustainable heat insulating composites with better hygrothermal properties. A novel method for modification of hemp shiv using sol-gel technology. Graphical Abstract• Coating layer acts as a breathable membrane allowing the hemp shiv to retain its hygric characteristics.• Hemp shiv coated with sol-gel monolayer reduces its water absorption capacity by 200%.• The effects of sol-gel coating on surface morphology, thermal stability and porosity of the shiv increase with increase in coating thickness.

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Reducing the Environmental Impact of Construction by Using Renewable Materials

Cited by 57 publications

References 8 publications

Resilient hemp shiv aggregates with engineered hygroscopic properties for the building industry

Resilient hemp shiv aggregates with engineered hygroscopic properties for the building industry

Briefing: Embodied carbon dioxide assessment in buildings: guidance and gaps

Modification of hemp shiv properties using water-repellent sol–gel coatings

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