Upcycling agricultural and plastic waste for sustainable construction: a review

Messahel, Bilal; Onyenokporo, Nwakaego C.; Takyie, Emefa; Beizaee, Arash; Oyinlola, Muyiwa

doi:10.1080/21622515.2023.2169642

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…In addition, the upcycling of these wastes should be encouraged as it will serve to encourage sustainable communities and the adoption of sustainable waste management practices in these regions or countries in accordance with UN Sustainable Development Goal 11. Although research on plastic bottle reuse is not new, as evidenced by the existing literature, the focus has been on the strength of bottle composites, and not much research has focused on the thermal performance of plastic bottle composites when used in construction until recently [17]. The comprehensive review presented by [19] shows that numerous studies have investigated the thermal performance of upcycled materials for constructing homes; however, these studies have mainly focused on the component level. A few studies [17,20] have predicted the performance of buildings from upcycled materials using simulation and quantitative studies to determine the effect of overheating in such buildings [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As evidenced by the aforementioned studies, existing research on the thermal performance of these plastic bottles in construction has focused on quantitative measurements, such as thermal conductivity and thermal transmittance coefficient measurements, which are important when considering the flow of heat into or out of the building [17,19,22,23]. However, there is a dearth of research data on experimental in situ measurements and/or qualitative studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Bottle House: Upcycling Plastic Bottles to Improve the Thermal Performance of Low-Cost Homes

Onyenokporo,

Beizaee,

Adekeye

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Due to the effects of climate change, diminishing natural resources, and continuous urbanization, there is an increasing need for buildings to be more sustainable. This study explores the potential of upcycling plastic waste for the sustainable construction of low-cost homes in developing countries and contributes to filling the gap in existing studies regarding qualitative results of the in situ performance of buildings made from upcycled materials. This study compares the Bottle house with conventional buildings made of mud and cement. This study seeks to encourage the adoption of the bottle house concept for affordable housing by conducting a thermal comfort survey of its occupants. To obtain the thermal sensation vote (TSV) of the occupants, thermal comfort questionnaires were developed based on the seven-point ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. Additionally, a Testo 480 multifunction meter, which comprised an anemometer, radiant globe thermometer, air thermometer, and relative humidity probe, was used to calculate the predicted mean vote (PMV) concurrently. From the results of the TSV, mean votes of the participants of −2.0, 2.0, and 2.4 were observed for the bottle house, mud houses, and cement houses, respectively. In comparison, adjusted PMV mean values of 1.9, 2.1 and 2.1 were recorded for the bottle house, mud houses, and cement houses, respectively. The TSV and PMV results both indicate that the occupants of the bottle house felt more thermally comfortable when compared to occupants in the other dwellings. This can be attributed to the measures incorporated during the construction of the bottle house. Furthermore, the use of a simulation study helped proffer solutions to further improve the indoor temperatures of the buildings used in this study. The results of this paper will provide evidence of the prospects of upcycling plastic waste for construction and its impact on occupant’s thermal comfort when compared to conventional building materials.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Bottle House: Upcycling Plastic Bottles to Improve the Thermal Performance of Low-Cost Homes

Onyenokporo,

Beizaee,

Adekeye

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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“…This has prompted increased research into the effectiveness and availability of pozzolanic waste materials that can partially replace cement as these wastes remain in the environment, unused, and more waste is produced with continuous population growth. The use of waste materials in construction is currently growing in research globally [10][11][12]. Reusing these wastes in construction is encouraged, as it will reduce the amount of raw materials used and significantly reduce landfill waste.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When combined with cement, waste materials such as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) have also been reported to improve some of the physical properties of cement-based materials where they are used. Several studies have been conducted on the use of SCMs originating from industrial wastes [13][14][15][16][17][18], agricultural wastes [19][20][21][22][23][24][25], and other general or natural wastes like plastics and glass [26][27][28][29][30][31]. However, research is growing regarding the reuse of agricultural wastes for construction purposes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Globally, several solutions have been proposed to address this issue, such as policy change and implementation, the adoption of renewable energy systems, and the use of phase-change materials [43]. However, in most developing countries, where the majority of their population is in the low-income group, applying these strategies to address energy consumption remains a challenge [29,42]. More people are concerned about the upfront costs of buildings, and little consideration is given to building performance, which leads to many householders experiencing thermal discomfort within their homes [44,45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Impact of Rice Husk Ash Masonry Blocks on Building Energy Performance

Onyenokporo,

Taki,

Montalvo

et al. 2024

Buildings

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Operational building energy consumption accounts for 55% of global energy consumption. Most of this is attributed to residential buildings, as they make up the largest building type when compared to the total building stock worldwide. As the building envelope is a major contributor to building energy performance, especially the external walls, its optimisation is therefore imperative to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. This study set out to assess the effects of waste material additions to external walls and their effect on building energy performance. This research aimed to critically investigate the effect of rice husk ash (RHA) masonry blocks on building energy performance when compared to conventional masonry blocks in tropical climates. A mix of methods, including experimental investigation and simulation studies, were employed for this study. Three variations of RHA block samples were created for this investigation: RHA 5%, RHA 10%, and RHA 15%. Using prototype buildings from the study context, the building simulation results helped quantify the impact on building energy performance from the reuse of rice waste. The largest improvement to the building fabric was recorded with the RHA15% blocks, which resulted in a 9.9% and 11.3% reduction in solar heat gains through the external walls for the selected bungalow and duplex/storey building, respectively. This resulted in a 6.55% and 4.2% reduction in cooling loads and a 4.1% and 2.8% reduction in carbon emissions, respectively, for the bungalow and duplex/storey building. The findings of this research will prove valuable to householders, researchers, architects, and policymakers in their decision-making processes. The findings will also be useful in introducing new methods that can be adopted for similar studies, bridging the knowledge gap while promoting a circular economy through the reuse of landfilled waste.

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Thermal performance characterization of cement-based masonry blocks incorporating rice husk ash

Onyenokporo

Taki

Montalvo

et al. 2023

Construction and Building Materials

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Upcycling agricultural and plastic waste for sustainable construction: a review

Cited by 5 publications

References 71 publications

The Bottle House: Upcycling Plastic Bottles to Improve the Thermal Performance of Low-Cost Homes

The Bottle House: Upcycling Plastic Bottles to Improve the Thermal Performance of Low-Cost Homes

Exploring the Impact of Rice Husk Ash Masonry Blocks on Building Energy Performance

Thermal performance characterization of cement-based masonry blocks incorporating rice husk ash

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