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In this study, three types of recycled waste paper fibers were used to manufacture cement composites reinforced with recycled cellulosic fibers. Waste cellulosic fibers in quantity of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.% were added to cement mixtures. Physical properties such as density, water capillarity, water absorbability and thermal conductivity of fiber cement composites were studied after 28 days of hardening. However, durability of composites was tested after their water storage up to 90 days. Final results of tested properties of fiber cement composites were compared with cement reference sample without cellulosic fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability goals are essential driving principles for the development of innovative materials in the building industry. Natural plant (e.g. hemp) fibers represent an attractive alternative as reinforcing material due to its good properties and sustainability prerequisites. In this study, hemp-based composite materials, designed for building application as non-load bearing material, providing both thermal insulation and physico-mechanical properties, are presented. Composite materials were produced by bonding hemp hurds with a novel inorganic binder (MgO-based cement) and then were characterized in terms of physical properties (bulk density, water absorption), thermal properties (thermal conductivity) and mechanical properties (compressive and tensile strength). The composites exhibited promising physical, thermal and mechanical characteristics, generally comparable to commercially available products. In addition, the hemp-based composites have the advantage of a significantly low environmental impact (thanks to the nature of both the dispersed and the binding phase) and no negative effects on human health. All things considered, the composite materials seem like very promising materials for the building industry application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction and manufacturing industries search for innovative materials that are sustainable, reliable and can replace conventional synthetic fibres. At present, there is a growing interest in renewable material based on cellulose fibres. These cellulose fibres can be obtained from numerous resources namely agriculture, construction and many others sectors of industry (e.g. paper mill). Natural fibres as reinforcement into concrete have a great interest in new technologies dealing with environmental aspect. The use of cellulose fibres in cementitious matrices have gained prominence because they make the composites lighter, they have comparable cost-performance ratios to similar building materials and they could be processed from waste paper, thus expanding the opportunities for waste utilization in cementitious materials. Application of cellulosic fibres into composites depends on their properties. Thermal stability of cellulosic fibres is one of the important properties of physico-chemical nature of these fibres determining their commercial significance. In the present work, thermal behaviour of cellulose samples from wood pulp and waste paper is studied in order to propose their potential utilization and application in building materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of alternative and environmentally friendly materials like natural fibres from different plant sources and also recycled fibres as reinforcement for composite materials is attractive due to good mechanical properties and sustainability prerequisites for the purpose of the construction. In the last decades, many studies deal with the use of organic materials and with utilization of natural fibres as replacement to synthetic fibres in reinforced composites, polymers and cement-based materials. Natural cellulose fibres are coming from different sources such as natural raw materials (hemp, flax, coir, wood) and waste raw materials (waste paper). The advantages of natural fibre-made composite are low density, low production cost of molded products and biodegradability. In the commercial market, there has been a strong trend to produce environmentally friendly materials by using recycled paper and agro-waste fibres. In many studies, the recycling of various types of wood pulp and waste paper fibres for the production of fibre cement composites has shown a significant effect on the mechanical and physical properties. This paper discusses the use of natural fibres as reinforcement in cement-based materials. The investigation of the properties of cement plasters with bio-based additives, that are applicable for exterior and interior environment, is given in this article. These materials were made of cement mortar containing lingo-/cellulose fibres coming from different sources (hemp hurds and waste paper). The investigation focused mainly on the effects of both fibres addition on the physico - mechanical properties of composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]