A Novel Hempcrete utilizing Calcium Aluminate Cement as a Binder
Received: 11 January 2025 | Revised: 5 February 2025 | Accepted: 24 February 2025 | Online: 3 April 2025
Corresponding author: V. Nivetha
Abstract
Hempcrete is an eco-friendly, carbon-negative building material composed of hemp shives, a binder, and water. While traditionally bound with lime, its mechanical limitations hinder structural applications. This study explores the use of Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) as an alternative binder to enhance hempcrete's mechanical properties. Results indicate that CAC improves early strength, reduces setting time, and enhances compressive, flexural, and elastic properties compared to lime-based hempcrete. Microstructural analysis reveals denser packing and reduced porosity in CAC-based hempcrete, contributing to higher strength. However, CAC increases material costs and affects thermal and acoustic properties due to its density. Despite these challenges, CAC-based hempcrete is promising for applications requiring faster setting, higher strength, and improved durability, though further modifications, such as aggregate additions and compaction, may optimize performance.
Keywords:
calcium aluminate cement, hemp hurds, hempcrete, compressive strength, microstructureDownloads
References
F. A. Olutoge, H. A. Quadri, and O. S. Olafusi, "Investigation of the Strength Properties of Palm Kernel Shell Ash Concrete," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 315–319, Dec. 2012.
H. Archila, S. Kaminski, D. Trujillo, E. Zea Escamilla, and K. A. Harries, "Bamboo reinforced concrete: a critical review," Materials and Structures, vol. 51, no. 4, Jul. 2018, Art. no. 102.
J. Ahmad et al., "Mechanical and Durability Performance of Coconut Fiber Reinforced Concrete: A State-of-the-Art Review," Materials, vol. 15, no. 10, Jan. 2022, Art. no. 3601.
E. P. Aigbomian and M. Fan, "Development of wood-crete from treated sawdust," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 52, pp. 353–360, Feb. 2014.
M. A. Ebaid, "Building for a sustainable future: investigating the thermal performance of innovative and local wall materials in an Egyptian housing unit," Housing and Building National Research Center Journal, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 247–299, Dec. 2023.
J. Pinto et al., "Corn cob lightweight concrete for non-structural applications," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 34, pp. 346–351, Sep. 2012.
M. Safehian and A. A. Ramezanianpour, "Assessment of service life models for determination of chloride penetration into silica fume concrete in the severe marine environmental condition," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 48, pp. 287–294, Nov. 2013.
R. Walker and S. Pavía, "Moisture transfer and thermal properties of hemp–lime concretes," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 64, pp. 270–276, Aug. 2014.
B. Mazhoud, F. Collet, S. Pretot, and J. Chamoin, "Hygric and thermal properties of hemp-lime plasters," Building and Environment, vol. 96, pp. 206–216, Feb. 2016.
R. K. Dahal, B. Acharya, and A. Dutta, "Mechanical, Thermal, and Acoustic Properties of Hemp and Biocomposite Materials: A Review," Journal of Composites Science, vol. 6, no. 12, Dec. 2022, Art. no. 373.
F. Ntimugura, R. Vinai, A. Harper, and P. Walker, "Mechanical, thermal, hygroscopic and acoustic properties of bio-aggregates – lime and alkali - activated insulating composite materials: A review of current status and prospects for miscanthus as an innovative resource in the South West of England," Sustainable Materials and Technologies, vol. 26, Dec. 2020, Art. no. e00211.
A. T. Le, A. Gacoin, A. Li, T. H. Mai, and N. El Wakil, "Influence of various starch/hemp mixtures on mechanical and acoustical behavior of starch-hemp composite materials," Composites Part B: Engineering, vol. 75, pp. 201–211, Jun. 2015.
G. V. Kumar, R. Ramadoss, and G. S. Rampradheep, "A study report on carbon sequestration by using Hempcrete," Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 45, pp. 6369–6371, Jan. 2021.
T. Jami, D. Rawtani, and Y. K. Agrawal, "Hemp concrete: carbon-negative construction," Emerging Materials Research, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 240–247, Dec. 2016.
E. Binega Yemesegen and A. M. Memari, "A review of experimental studies on Cob, Hempcrete, and bamboo components and the call for transition towards sustainable home building with 3D printing," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 399, Oct. 2023, Art. no. 132603.
T. Karche and M. R. Singh, "The application of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for a green economy: a review," Turkish Journal of Botany, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 710–723, Jan. 2019.
S. Barbhuiya and B. Bhusan Das, "A comprehensive review on the use of hemp in concrete," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 341, Jul. 2022, Art. no. 127857.
O. Kinnane, A. Reilly, J. Grimes, S. Pavia, and R. Walker, "Acoustic absorption of hemp-lime construction," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 122, pp. 674–682, Sep. 2016.
F. Collet and S. Pretot, "Thermal conductivity of hemp concretes: Variation with formulation, density and water content," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 65, pp. 612–619, Aug. 2014.
R. Walker and S. Pavía, "Physical properties and reactivity of pozzolans, and their influence on the properties of lime–pozzolan pastes," Materials and Structures, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 1139–1150, Jul. 2011.
E. Parcesepe, R. F. De Masi, C. Lima, G. M. Mauro, M. R. Pecce, and G. Maddaloni, "Assessment of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hemp-Lime Mortar," Materials, vol. 14, no. 4, Jan. 2021, Art. no. 882.
P. Brzyski, "The Influence of Gum Arabic Admixture on the Mechanical Properties of Lime-Metakaolin Paste Used as Binder in Hemp Concrete," Materials, vol. 14, no. 22, Jan. 2021, Art. no. 6775.
B. Ayati, A. Gutierrez, and A. Chandler, "Mechanical and hygrothermal properties of hemp-silica bio-composites," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 425, Apr. 2024, Art. no. 136077.
Y. Abdellatef, M. A. Khan, A. Khan, M. I. Alam, and M. Kavgic, "Mechanical, Thermal, and Moisture Buffering Properties of Novel Insulating Hemp-Lime Composite Building Materials," Materials, vol. 13, no. 21, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 5000.
F. Benmahiddine, F. Bennai, R. Cherif, R. Belarbi, A. Tahakourt, and K. Abahri, "Experimental investigation on the influence of immersion/drying cycles on the hygrothermal and mechanical properties of hemp concrete," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 32, Nov. 2020, Art. no. 101758.
W. Piątkiewicz, P. Narloch, and B. Pietruszka, "Influence of hemp-lime composite composition on its mechanical and physical properties," Archives of Civil Engineering, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 485–503, 2020.
J. H. Ideker, K. L. Scrivener, H. Fryda, and B. Touzo, "Calcium Aluminate Cements," in Lea’s Chemistry of Cement and Concrete (Fifth Edition), P. C. Hewlett and M. Liska, Eds. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2019, pp. 537–584.
J. F. Zapata, A. Azevedo, C. Fontes, S. N. Monteiro, and H. A. Colorado, "Environmental Impact and Sustainability of Calcium Aluminate Cements," Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 5, Jan. 2022, Art. no. 2751.
J. Bizzozero, "Hydration and dimensional stability of calcium aluminate cement based systems," M.S. thesis, Material Sciences and Techniques, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2014.
S. Frauke, K. Ioanna, S. B. Maria, R. Serge, and D. S. Luis, "Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Production of Cement, Lime and Magnesium Oxide: Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU:(Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control," Belgium, 2013.
E. Wu, Q. Wang, L. Ke, and G. Zhang, "Study on Carbon Emission Characteristics and Emission Reduction Measures of Lime Production—A Case of Enterprise in the Yangtze River Basin," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 13, Jan. 2023, Art. no. 10185.
T. Jami, S. R. Karade, and L. P. Singh, "A review of the properties of hemp concrete for green building applications," Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 239, Dec. 2019, Art. no. 117852.
Specification for Building Limes, IS 712, India, 1984.
L. Patural, P. Marchal, A. Govin, P. Grosseau, B. Ruot, and O. Devès, "Cellulose ethers influence on water retention and consistency in cement-based mortars," Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 46–55, Jan. 2011.
Methods of physical tests for hydraulic cement, Part 5: Determination of initial and final setting times, IS 4031-5, India, 1988.
J. Williams, M. Lawrence, and P. Walker, "The influence of constituents on the properties of the bio-aggregate composite hemp-lime," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 159, pp. 9–17, Jan. 2018.
R. Bevan and T. Woolley, Hemp Lime Construction: A guide to building with hemp lime composites, Bracknell, UK: IHS BRE Press, 2008.
Methods of Tests for Strength of Concrete, IS 516, India, 1959.
S. R. Reid and C. Peng, "Dynamic uniaxial crushing of wood," International Journal of Impact Engineering, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 531–570, May 1997.
Plain and reinforced concrete-code of practice, IS 456, India, 2000.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 V. Nivetha, M. P. Muthuraj
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
