An Experimental Study on the Use of Fonio Straw and Shea Butter Residue for Improving the Thermophysical and Mechanical Properties of Compressed Earth Blocks

The efficient use of building materials is one of the responses to increasing urbanization and building energy consumption. Soil as a building material has been used for several thousand years due to its availability and its usual properties improving and stabilization techniques used. Thus, fonio straws and shea butter residues are incorporated into tow soil matrix. The objective of this study is to develop a construction eco-material by recycling agricultural and biopolymer by-products in compressed earth blocks (CEB) stabilization and analyze these by-products’ influence on CEB usual properties. To do this, compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) composed of clay and varying proportion (3% to 10%) of fonio straw and shea butter residue incorporated were subjected to thermophysical, flexural, compressive, and durability tests. The results obtained show that the addition of fonio straw and shea butter residues as stabilizers improves compressed stabilized earth blocks thermophysical and mechanical performance and durability. Two different clay materials were studied. Indeed, for these CEB incorporating 3% fonio straw and 3% - 10% shea butter residue, the average compressive strength and three-point bending strength values after 28 days old are respectively 3.478 MPa and 1.062 MPa. In terms of CSEB thermal properties, the average thermal conductivity is 0.549 W/m·K with 3% fonio straw and from 0.667 to 0.798 W/m. K is with 3% - 10% shea butter residue and the average thermal diffusivity is 1.665.10-7 m2/s with 3% FF and 2.24.10-7 m2/s with 3.055.10-7 m2/s with 3% - 10% shea butter residue, while the average specific heat mass is between 1.508 and 1.584 kJ/kg·K. In addition, the shea butter residue incorporated at 3% - 10% improves CSEB water repellency, with capillary coefficient values between 31 and 68 [g/m2·s]1/2 and a contact angle between 43.63°C and 86.4°C. Analysis of the results shows that, it is possible to use these CSEB for single-storey housing construction.