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Portland cement–based materials represent the most widely used construction materials worldwide. However, their production and application are associated with significant environmental burdens, including high CO2 emissions and the depletion of natural aggregate resources. In response to the growing demand for environmentally responsible construction solutions, this study focuses on the development of building materials based on an alternative binder. Magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) is considered a more sustai...

Lime mortars are widely used in the construction, repair, and conservation of historic masonry due to their compatibility with traditional materials and their flexible, porous structure. However, their relatively low mechanical strength compared to modern cement-based materials has led to efforts to enhance their performance, for example through fibre reinforcement. This study examines the effect of two types of natural fibres (bovine and goat) on the physical, mechanical, hygric, and thermal properties of lime–...

In an effort to develop binders with a reduced environmental impact, magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) cement has recently attracted considerable attention. This binder belongs to the family of magnesium-based cements; however, unlike magnesium sulphate and magnesium oxychloride cements, it is classified as a hydraulic cement. It forms through the reaction of reactive magnesium oxide with silica sources in the presence of water, producing magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) gel. Caustic-calcined magnesite, typically p...

Magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) is a promising binder phase for the development of low carbon cementitious materials. However, its formation mechanisms, phase evolution, and dependence on curing conditions remain poorly understood, particularly during the early and intermediate stages of hydration. This study investigates the formation and development of M S-H in model systems using reactive MgO and diatomite as the silica source, focusing on Mg/Si molar ratios of 0.75, 0.90, 1.05, and 1.20 under controlled cur...

In recent years, natural fibres have gained attention as an effective means of enhancing the performance of composite materials. By forming a reinforcing network within the matrix, fibres can limit crack propagation and improve cohesion. This approach is particularly relevant for lime-based mortars used in the repair of historic masonry, which often suffer from low mechanical strength during early curing. The presented study investigates the effect of increasing animal fibre content in natural hydraulic lime-based...

The protection and maintenance of cultural heritage is an integral aspect of urban development. Preserving the original architecture, appearance, and material design of historic buildings is of a significant importance for understanding the development of society and the changes that have occurred throughout history. In the face of increasing demands for durability, mechanical strength, water vapor permeability, and compatibility with other parts of historical construction, research has focused on innovations in l...

In addition to excellent mechanical, physical and chemical parameters, magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composites offer numerous environmental benefits, particularly with regard to the necessary reduction of carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of Portland cement based building materials. However, the limitation to the wider use of MOC is its low water resistance. Therefore, the possibility of improving the water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composites by nano-adjustment u...

This paper presents the experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of a newly developed two-coat system (TCS) for the protection and repair of concrete. The optimized system consists of a penetrating layer of modified low-viscosity resin of BPA (bisphenol A) type and a top coat based on aliphatic polyisocyanate resin of HDI (hexametyl diisocyanate) type. TCS was applied to reference concrete specimens, which were subjected to various tests to evaluate their basic physical properties, mechanical strength, hygric ...

Every day, human activities generate large amounts of solid waste. To ensure the quality of the environment, waste must be further treated to prevent it from accumulation in landfills. In the case of materials that cannot be recycled or reused, such as municipal solid waste, burning in waste incineration plants to generate heat or electricity appears to be the appropriate solution of such waste disposal. However, combustion processes generate residues, such as bottom or fly ash, which must be stored. Fly ash gener...

This manuscript presents the comprehensive chemical and physical analysis of two types of biomass ashes derived from power and heat generation in order to highlight their positive parameters and properties and to propose the way for their safe reuse in the production of building materials. The analysis of biomass ashes included the assessment of chemical composition, dry matter content, loss on ignition, particle size distribution, Blaine fineness, dry powder density, specific density, pozzolanic activity, SEM mor...

The development and testing of advanced materials for the protection and repair of concrete structures is the main objective of the presented research. Two types of synthetic resins have been developed, applied to concrete samples and their effectiveness in improving the durability of the samples investigated has been tested. Type A is an epoxy resin with non-reactive solvents, originally designed for thin-layer surface treatment to achieve a highly closed and cross-linked surface. Type 50 is a modified low-viscos...

In a view of the sustainable development principles, the development of advanced lowcarbon building materials represents one of the most important issues in the construction industry. To follow the current trends in research and development of building materials, special attention is paid to the reuse of all kinds of waste and industrial byproducts. One of the serious problems of today-s society is the huge production of sewage sludge from waste water treatment and its disposal. As one of the promising ways of sew...

Increasing demands on the thermal performance of the building envelope play a crucial role in the design of buildings in order to maintain a quality indoor climate with reduced energy consumption. In case of repair mortars development, the necessary thermal insulation improvement can be effectively achieved by using lightweight aggregates. However, the application of new materials to historical buildings might be problematic due to their incompatibility with materials originally used in the past. In this paper, tw...

In view of the growing population and urbanization, it is necessary to ensure the development of advanced building materials capable of ensuring the quality of living conditions with as low energy consumption as possible. A proven way to achieve this is to create a composite material with a lightweight aggregate. However, the use of lightweight aggregate could also affect other material properties, such as mechanical strength or water absorption. In this study, the silica sand aggregate was partially and completel...

With the rapid growth of the population and urbanization, the demand for industrial production has continued to increase, and industrial solid waste has become more and more abundant. Industrial solid waste mainly includes fly ashes, slags, tailings, red mud, bottom ashes and other wastes, which account for approximately 80% of the total waste produced on Earth. Industrial wastes generally contain various heavy metal components such as Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, As, Ba and Mn. The low recycling rate of solid waste result...

A novel composite matrix composed of Portland cement (PC) and municipal solid waste incineration ash (MSWIA) was developed for the simultaneous immobilization of three heavy metals - Ba, Pb and Zn. The main motivation for the research was to exploit and reuse MSWIA to design alternative composite matrix with the ability to immobilize hazardous pollutants, such as heavy metals, which might be used as filler for the cement-based construction materials. In composition of prepared composite matrix, MSWIA was used as a...

This paper focuses on the experimental testing of hydrated lime-, natural hydraulic lime-, and lime-cement-based mortars with improved salt accumulation capacity. Moreover, the effect of varying content of non-hydrophobised expanded perlite (EP) in the mortars on their durability was investigated. The substation of silica sand by expanded perlite was 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% by volume. A modified method based on the adsorption of free salt ions from solution was used to measure the chloride binding isotherms. The sa...

In this study, magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) mortars reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene were prepared and analyzed. The lower CO2 footprint of MOC in comparison with the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) predestines MOC-based materials to be an environmentally sustainable alternative to OPC. However, the wider spread of MOC is hindered by its low water resistance. The combined influence of MWCNT and graphene as 1D and 2D carbon nanomaterials on properties of MOC morta...

Magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) is a non-hydraulic binder produced in a more eco-efficient way than Portland cement and due to its favorable properties represents its promising alternative in the production of construction materials for specific applications. The specific advantage of MOC is the fact that it can accommodate organic as well as inorganic substances in the form of fillers, aggregates, additives, reinforcement, etc. which enables enriching properties and performance of the final composite material....

This study is focused on influence of graphene nanoplatelets as additive in magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) paste. This material composed of light-burned magnesia, prepared at lower temperatures than ordinary Portland cement (PC), is considered as its eco-efficient low-carbon alternative with properties comparable to high-performance concrete such as high mechanical resistance, stiffness., and low porosity. Two composite pastes were prepared, reference paste and paste enhanced with graphene, and subjected to se...

The novel lightweight repair mortar was designed and tested in respect to its resistance against salt crystallization and salinization. Natural hydraulic lime was used as the only binder, and the expanded glass granules were applied as lightweight aggregate. As reference, control mortar with silica sand aggregate was examined as well. The performed tests and analyses were aimed at the assessment of the structural, mechanical, hygric, and thermal properties of the 28-days and 90-days hardened mortars. Specific atte...

The aim of the presented work was to develop and evaluate the novel thermal insulation plaster intended for repair and renovation application. The thermal parameters of the reference lime plaster were enhanced with the substitution of 50 vol. % of silica sand with expanded perlite. The hardened plasters were characterized by their specific density, bulk density, total open porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and dynamic modulus of elasticity. The thermal conductivity and the volumetric heat capacity...

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), a cheap carbon-based material with large surface-to-volume ratio, are currently broadly investigated as a promising reinforcement for composite materials in building industry to enhance particularly their mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. However, the uniform dispersion of GNPs in composite material is a crucial factor to fully manifest their superior properties. This study is aimed at the design of environmentally friendly composite material based on magnesium oxychlor...

Magnesia based cement is known for over 150 years. Compared to Portland cement (PC), magnesium potassium cement (MPC) is more environmentally friendly material, because of its high carbonation capability and a lower environmental impact on the overall ecosystem quality and resources than PC. Fast setting connected with high early strength leads to the satisfying parameters achieved after a few hours. Therefore, MPC finds use as the concrete repair material for buildings, roads or concreting runways, etc. In the pr...

The magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) as an alternative to commonly used Portland cement (PC) has been intensively studied in the past decade. Compared to PC it is more environmentally sustainable and it can be considered as CO2-neutral due to the low calcination temperature of the raw materials and its ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. The objective of this paper was to develop a composite material based on MOC, containing partially oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (partially oxidized MWCNTs) in o...

Natural zeolites having a structure with a large number of cavities allow design lightweight plasters with improved thermal insulation parameters. Focusing on the assessment of plasters’ durability, their resistance to salt damage should to be taken into consideration, especially in case of their application in repair of salt laden masonry. Although the crystallization of salts in plasters presents a serious problem, there is as yet no standard procedure for its evaluation. To predict salt damage of lime-based pla...

In the presented study, new types of lightweight plasters for passive moderation of interior climate were designed and tested. The examined plasters were composed of blended mineral binder (cement-lime or gypsum-lime), silica sand, perlite, chemical additives, and batch water. For the basic characterization of studied materials, bulk density, specific density, and total open porosity were measured. The mechanical resistance of the developed plasters was assessed in flexural and compressive strength tests. The ther...

The research of 2D carbon-based nanomaterials has become very intensive since the discovery of graphene. Many different preparation procedures of graphene and graphene derivatives have been reported. The aim of this paper was to prepare and characterize partially oxidized graphite oxides, which were prepared from nanographite by adding different amounts of potassium permanganate as an oxidizing agent. The C/O ratio was evaluated from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and elemental a...

Concrete production has high adverse effect on the quality of environment, and its sustainability is open question for material researchers and producers. In addressing the environmental concerns of concrete manufacturing and problems relating to the disposal of wastes and industrial by-product and also economic advantages, application of secondary raw materials in composition of concrete mix is of the particular importance both from the environmental and financial point of view. A substantial growth in the consum...

The handling and disposal of voluminous sludge produced from water treatment plants poses difficulty to environmental scientist and engineers. In fact, its environmental friendly management and disposal is challenging task and requires careful consideration. In this study, sewage sludge ashes were examined as potentially supplementary cementitious materials. The raw sewage sludge was provided by two different municipal waste water treatment plants, coming from Poland and Greece respectively. The calcination of pre...

The buildings energy performance is becoming increasingly important, because of environmental restrictions connected with CO2 emission and rising costs of fuel end energy. Respecting sustainability issues, design of buildings with improved thermal properties and optimum energy performance is preferred, whereas specific attention has to be paid not only to the design of building envelopes, but also to the thermal insulation of buildings subsoil. To obtain buildings with high thermal resistance and sufficient therma...