RESEARCH ARTICLE


Thermo-mechanical Characterization of Insulating Bio-plasters Containing Recycled Volcanic Pyroclasts



Loredana Contrafatto1, Salvatore Gazzo2, Antonio Purrazzo3, Antonio Gagliano4, *
1 Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
2 Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
3 Material Testing Laboratory collaborator, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
4 Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, University of Catania, Catania, Italy


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Creative Commons License
© 2020 Contrafatto et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Tel: 3204332228; E-mail: antonio.gagliano@dieei.unict.it


Abstract

Aim:

The research proposes the reuse of volcanic wastes in the production of lightened and insulating bio-plasters.

Introduction:

The goal is the production of a novel sustainable construction material that reduces the environmental impact.

Methods:

Four mixtures were designed. The recycled Volcanic Ash was used in combination with two bio-compatible binders; basically Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) or calcium hydroxide blended with a commercial Portland cement (CH-CEM). To improve thermal properties, CH-CEM mixtures were treated with an Air Entraining Agent (AEA) in two different percentages and a breathable resin (R). The main physical, mechanical and thermal properties were experimentally determined.

Results:

The results of such analysis indicate that the mixture NHL, realized using hydraulic lime as a binder, do not satisfy the threshold of the water absorption coefficient, exceeding the limit established by UNI EN 998-1 standard.

Conclusion:

On the contrary, one of the mixtures CH-CEM, containing both AEA and R, is suitable for use as lightweight plastering mortar and also satisfies the requirements for insulating mortars.

Keywords: Volcanic ash, Bio-composite, Thermal insulating plaster, Insulating panels, Etna, Eco-design, Bio-plasters, Volcanic pyroclsts.