Advances in the Sustainability and Durability of Waste-Based Construction Materials

A special issue of Construction Materials (ISSN 2673-7108).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 305

Special Issue Editors

Centre of Territory, Environment and Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Escola de Engenharia,‎ 4800-058 Guimarães‎, Portugal
Interests: sustainable unconventional materials; earthen construction; hemp based materials; durability of materials; sustainable construction
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Guest Editor
Centre of Territory, Environment and Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Escola de Engenharia,‎ 4800-058 Guimarães‎, Portugal
Interests: sustainable buildings; durability of materials; chloride transportation; carbonation; supplementary cementitious materials; circular economy; bio-based materials; waste-based composites; energy efficiency of buildings; vernacular architecture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the significant advances in the sustainability and durability of construction materials incorporating industrial and agro-industrial wastes or by-products. Waste inclusion in construction products, such as in concrete, thermal mortars and composite mixtures for block production, is crucial for improving environmental sustainability and resource efficiency.

This Issue aims to highlight the benefits of using waste-based materials and the combination of waste with natural materials for greater sustainability, focusing on improved material properties; reduced carbon footprint; reduced energy consumption; low resource exploration; and cost efficiency. It also seeks to explore their possible limitations, for instance in terms of durability or toxicity.

Scientific contributions are invited on topics such as the following: the development of new waste-based composites or concretes; performance evaluation; durability studies; life cycle assessment; and case studies demonstrating practical applications in the construction industry.

Dr. Rute Eires
Dr. Raphaele Malheiro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Construction Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wastes
  • durability
  • performance optimization
  • concrete
  • composites

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 6152 KiB  
Article
Development of Thermally Insulating Gypsum Boards Blended with Quartzite and Fiberglass Waste
by Rosana M. R. Mol, Marialaura H. Rosas, Keoma D. C. e Silva and Ricardo A. F. Peixoto
Constr. Mater. 2025, 5(2), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/constrmater5020030 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 114
Abstract
The construction industry generates approximately 45% of the world’s total waste, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions. This study investigates the incorporation of quartzite waste (QW) and fiberglass waste (FW) into the production of gypsum plasterboard to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining [...] Read more.
The construction industry generates approximately 45% of the world’s total waste, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions. This study investigates the incorporation of quartzite waste (QW) and fiberglass waste (FW) into the production of gypsum plasterboard to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining its structural performance. The optimum formulation (MQ-20) was determined by replacing 20% of the gypsum with QW, based on the observed free water loss and crystallization water. The physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the reference and modified boards were evaluated. The results showed that the MQ-20 samples exhibited a 30% reduction in flexural strength compared to the reference, while still exceeding regulatory standards. In addition, the MQ-20 samples had a lower thermal conductivity (0.54 W/(m∙K)) than the reference (0.58 W/(m∙K)). Fire-resistance tests showed that the inclusion of QW and FW reduced the size and number of cracks, improving the structural stability of the plasterboard at high temperatures. This research demonstrates that the incorporation of industrial waste into plasterboard is a viable and environmentally friendly approach, providing both mechanical and thermal performance benefits. These findings provide a basis for future studies aimed at developing sustainable building materials with improved functional properties. Full article
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