IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i14p5666-d384537.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gypsum, Geopolymers, and Starch—Alternative Binders for Bio-Based Building Materials: A Review and Life-Cycle Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Girts Bumanis

    (Institute of Materials and Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Riga Technical University, 6B Kipsalas Street, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia)

  • Laura Vitola

    (Institute of Materials and Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Riga Technical University, 6B Kipsalas Street, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia)

  • Ina Pundiene

    (Laboratory of Concrete Technologies, Institute of Building Materials, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Sauletekio al. 11, LT-10223 Vilnus, Lithuania)

  • Maris Sinka

    (Institute of Materials and Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Riga Technical University, 6B Kipsalas Street, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia)

  • Diana Bajare

    (Institute of Materials and Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Riga Technical University, 6B Kipsalas Street, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia)

Abstract

To decrease the environmental impact of the construction industry, energy-efficient insulation materials with low embodied production energy are needed. Lime-hemp concrete is traditionally recognized as such a material; however, the drawbacks of this type of material are associated with low strength gain, high initial moisture content, and limited application. Therefore, this review article discusses alternatives to lime-hemp concrete that would achieve similar thermal properties with an equivalent or lower environmental impact. Binders such as gypsum, geopolymers, and starch are proposed as alternatives, due to their performance and low environmental impact, and available research is summarized and discussed in this paper. The summarized results show that low-density thermal insulation bio-composites with a density of 200–400 kg/m 3 and thermal conductivity (λ) of 0.06–0.09 W/(m × K) can be obtained with gypsum and geopolymer binders. However, by using a starch binder it is possible to produce ecological building materials with a density of approximately 100 kg/m 3 and thermal conductivity (λ) as low as 0.04 W/(m × K). In addition, a preliminary life cycle assessment was carried out to evaluate the environmental impact of reviewed bio-composites. The results indicate that such bio-composites have a low environmental impact, similar to lime-hemp concrete.

Suggested Citation

  • Girts Bumanis & Laura Vitola & Ina Pundiene & Maris Sinka & Diana Bajare, 2020. "Gypsum, Geopolymers, and Starch—Alternative Binders for Bio-Based Building Materials: A Review and Life-Cycle Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5666-:d:384537
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5666/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5666/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Schiavoni, S. & D׳Alessandro, F. & Bianchi, F. & Asdrubali, F., 2016. "Insulation materials for the building sector: A review and comparative analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 988-1011.
    2. Rick Bosman & Jan Rotmans, 2016. "Transition Governance towards a Bioeconomy: A Comparison of Finland and The Netherlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-20, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Benedetti Miriam & Herce Carlos & Sforzini Matteo & Susca Tiziana & Toro Claudia, 2024. "Defining a sustainable supply chain for buildings Off-Site envelope thermal insulation solutions: proposal of a methodology to investigate opportunities based on a context analysis," Logistics, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Global Challenges, Sciendo, vol. 15(s1), pages 38-57.
    2. Jiang, Wei & Jin, Yang & Liu, Gongliang & Li, Qing & Li, Dong, 2023. "Passive nearly zero energy retrofits of rammed earth rural residential buildings based on energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Fabio A. Madau & Brunella Arru & Roberto Furesi & Pietro Pulina, 2020. "Insect Farming for Feed and Food Production from a Circular Business Model Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Stefano Cascone & Gianpiero Evola & Antonio Gagliano & Gaetano Sciuto & Chiara Baroetto Parisi, 2019. "Laboratory and In-Situ Measurements for Thermal and Acoustic Performance of Straw Bales," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Artur Koper & Karol Prałat & Justyna Ciemnicka & Katarzyna Buczkowska, 2020. "Influence of the Calcination Temperature of Synthetic Gypsum on the Particle Size Distribution and Setting Time of Modified Building Materials," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-23, November.
    6. Hawks, M.A. & Cho, S., 2024. "Review and analysis of current solutions and trends for zero energy building (ZEB) thermal systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    7. Fu, Yang & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2018. "Two faces of an eco-city? Sustainability transition and territorial rescaling of a new town in Zhuhai," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 627-636.
    8. Alejandro Padilla-Rivera & Ben Amor & Pierre Blanchet, 2018. "Evaluating the Link between Low Carbon Reductions Strategies and Its Performance in the Context of Climate Change: A Carbon Footprint of a Wood-Frame Residential Building in Quebec, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Ayrapetyan, David & Hermans, Frans, 2020. "Introducing a multiscalar framework for biocluster research: A meta-analysis," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 12(9).
    10. Marko Lovec & Luka Juvančič, 2021. "The Role of Industrial Revival in Untapping the Bioeconomy’s Potential in Central and Eastern Europe," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-20, December.
    11. Piccardo, C. & Dodoo, A. & Gustavsson, L. & Tettey, U.Y.A., 2020. "Retrofitting with different building materials: Life-cycle primary energy implications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    12. Benoit Mougenot & Jean-Pierre Doussoulin, 2022. "Conceptual evolution of the bioeconomy: a bibliometric analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 1031-1047, January.
    13. Zhang, Xingxing & Lovati, Marco & Vigna, Ilaria & Widén, Joakim & Han, Mengjie & Gal, Csilla & Feng, Tao, 2018. "A review of urban energy systems at building cluster level incorporating renewable-energy-source (RES) envelope solutions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 1034-1056.
    14. Claudia Fabiani & Anna Laura Pisello & Marco Barbanera & Luisa F. Cabeza & Franco Cotana, 2019. "Assessing the Potentiality of Animal Fat Based-Bio Phase Change Materials (PCM) for Building Applications: An Innovative Multipurpose Thermal Investigation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    15. Villasmil, Willy & Fischer, Ludger J. & Worlitschek, Jörg, 2019. "A review and evaluation of thermal insulation materials and methods for thermal energy storage systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 71-84.
    16. Božiček, D. & Peterková, J. & Zach, J. & Košir, M., 2024. "Vacuum insulation panels: An overview of research literature with an emphasis on environmental and economic studies for building applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).
    17. Alexandra Gottinger & Luana Ladu & Rainer Quitzow, 2020. "Studying the Transition towards a Circular Bioeconomy—A Systematic Literature Review on Transition Studies and Existing Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-25, October.
    18. Taesub Lim & Jaewang Seok & Daeung Danny Kim, 2017. "A Comparative Study of Energy Performance of Fumed Silica Vacuum Insulation Panels in an Apartment Building," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-12, December.
    19. De Masi, Rosa Francesca & Ruggiero, Silvia & Vanoli, Giuseppe Peter, 2020. "Multi-layered wall with vacuum insulation panels: Results of 5-years in-field monitoring and numerical analysis of aging effect on building consumptions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    20. Ho Baik & Minju Kim & Sang-Heon Lee & Hunhee Cho, 2018. "Simulation Model for Productivity Analysis of External Insulated Precast Concrete Wall System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-20, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5666-:d:384537. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.