Bioclimatic aspects of recycled agricultural materials for sustainable green construction

Abstract

Abstract There is an increasing awareness for adapting bioclimatic construction practices using agro-based green building materials to reduce the global warming impacts pertaining to the construction sector. In addition, lightweight construction is an emerging field of infrastructural development aiming to reduce the deadweight of the building by employing low density materials. Unlike conventional building blocks, the lightweight materials can be prepared in larger size and integrated easily to reduce the overall cost of construction. However, there is a need to identify cheaper and energy-efficient materials to minimize the net carbon emissions and to optimize the functionalities for any specific applications. The present study deals with the preparation of lightweight panels from agricultural by-products such as coconut fibres and paddy straws by optimizing their mixture proportioning and internal pattern of arrangement after pre-treatment with polyethylene glycol. Based on the test results, the concrete panels made of paddy straw have shown the highest reduction in weight compared to the conventional specimens (by 40%) and specimens with coconut fibre (by 25%). The results indicate that the concrete specimens made of the selected agro-based materials have improved mechanical (strength and durability), thermal and bioclimatic properties. The reduction in carbon emission depicts the critical dependency of bioclimatic construction on the selection of green materials. Therefore, a design methodology for sustainability assessment of agro-based building materials is formulated here in order to justify their suitability as green building materials.