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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 4468

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elnaz Esmizadeh

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Guest Editor

Durability and Service Life Prediction of Polymeric Materials, Construction Research Centre (CONST), National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
Interests: polymer durability; service life prediction of polymers; constructive polymers; eco-building; polymer composite; reinforcement
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition toward a sustainable built environment demands innovative materials that not only minimize their environmental impact but also deliver high durability and performance. This Special Issue, “Eco-Friendly Materials for Sustainable Buildings”, aims to showcase the latest advances in the development, characterization, and application of green building materials that contribute to energy efficiency, carbon footprint reduction, and long-term resilience. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Low-carbon and carbon-negative building materials;
Recycled and upcycled construction products;
Bio-based and renewable material solutions;
Materials and systems for passive design and energy efficiency;
Lifecycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs);
Thermal, hygric, and mechanical performance of green materials;
Durability and service life prediction of building materials;
Circular economy strategies in the reuse of construction and demolition waste.

We invite researchers, engineers, and industry experts to submit original research papers, reviews, and case studies that contribute to the decarbonization of the construction sector and the widespread adoption of eco-friendly, durable materials. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable buildings.

Dr. Elnaz Esmizadeh
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

sustainable building material
green construction
bio-based construction materials
lifecycle assessment
circular economy in construction
recycled construction materials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2224 KB

Open AccessArticle

Laboratory Quantification of Gaseous Emission from Alternative Fuel Combustion: Implications for Cement Industry Decarbonization

by Ofelia Rivera Sasso, Elias Ramirez Espinoza, Caleb Carreño Gallardo, Jose Ernesto Ledezma Sillas, Alberto Diaz Diaz, Omar Farid Ojeda Farias, Carolina Prieto Gomez and Jose Martin Herrera Ramirez

Materials 2025, 18(21), 4859; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18214859 - 23 Oct 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1095

Abstract

The cement industry accounts for approximately 7% of global CO₂ emissions, with fuel combustion contributing 40% of sectoral emissions. Alternative fuels from industrial and municipal waste offer emission reduction opportunities while addressing waste management challenges. This study quantifies real-time gaseous emissions (CO₂, CO, NO_x, and SO₂) from seven alternative fuels—sawdust (SD), pecan nutshell (PNS), wind blade waste (WBW), industrial hose waste (IHW), tire-derived fuel (TDF), plastic waste (PW), and automotive shredder residue (ASR)—during calcination at 850 °C. Bituminous coal served as the reference fuel. Gas concentrations were continuously monitored using the testo 350 portable gas analyzer. Emission factors were calculated on a mass basis (kg/kg fuel) and energy basis (kg/GJ) for standardized comparisons. Alternative fuels consistently produced lower CO₂ emission factors than coal, with biomass-derived fuels (SD and PNS) showing reductions of 45% and 38%, respectively. Most alternative fuels generated lower CO and NO_x emissions per unit energy due to their higher volatile matter content, promoting complete combustion. TDF was an exception, exhibiting 2.8 times higher CO emissions. SO₂ emissions were negligible except in the case of TDF (0.14% sulfur content). The measured emission factors were 15–30% lower than theoretical IPCC values, confirming the environmental viability of alternative fuels as coal substitutes in cement production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials for Sustainable Buildings)

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18 pages, 6545 KB

Open AccessArticle

Temperature-Dependent Effects of Hydroxyethyl Methyl Cellulose on Rheological Properties and Microstructural Evolution of Robotic Plastering Mortars

by Guangjie Ling, Hongbin Yang and Sifeng Liu

Materials 2025, 18(20), 4664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204664 - 10 Oct 2025

Viewed by 888

Abstract

Temperature-induced instability in early-age rheology poses a major challenge to the pumpability and application of robotic plastering mortars. This study systematically investigates the temperature-dependent effects of a high-viscosity (75,000 mPa·s) hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) on the rheological properties and early microstructural evolution of mortars at 5 °C, 20 °C, and 40 °C. Mortars with HEMC dosages from 0 to 0.25 wt% were tested using rheological measurements, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and complementary microstructural analyses (XRD, FTIR, and SEM–EDS). Results show that HEMC reduced the initial static yield stress while monotonically increasing plastic viscosity, with the thickening effect more pronounced at higher temperatures. Notably, at 40 °C, the initial plastic viscosity of a 0.25% HEMC mix reached 14.4 Pa·s, a 133% increase compared to the control group. HEMC also effectively retarded the time-dependent increase in yield stress and stabilized plastic viscosity, thereby mitigating the adverse influence of elevated temperature. UPV confirmed that HEMC delayed microstructural formation, in agreement with the observed retardation of hydration reactions. At 40 °C, a 0.10% HEMC dosage postponed the percolation threshold from 67 min to 150 min, highlighting its strong retardation effect. Microstructural tests further revealed that HEMC delayed CH formation, refined C–S–H gels, and reduced the crystallinity of AFt, supporting the rheological and ultrasonic findings. A statistically significant, moderate-to-strong correlation (r = 0.88, R² = 0.77, p < 0.001) was established between static yield stress and UPV, indicating that macroscopic rheological resistance responds to microstructural evolution. Based on these results, the recommended HEMC dosages to achieve stable rheological performance are 0.05–0.10% at 5 °C, 0.10–0.15% at 20 °C, and 0.15–0.20% at 40 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials for Sustainable Buildings)

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17 pages, 6527 KB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties of Bio-Printed Mortars with Bio-Additives for Green and Sustainable Construction

by Sotirios Pemas, Dimitrios Baliakas, Eleftheria Maria Pechlivani and Maria Stefanidou

Materials 2025, 18(14), 3375; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143375 - 18 Jul 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1325

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has brought significant breakthroughs to the construction sector, such as the ability to fabricate complex geometries, enhance efficiency, and reduce both material usage and construction waste. However, several challenges must still be addressed to fully transition from conventional construction practices to innovative and sustainable green alternatives. This study investigates the use of non-cementitious traditional mixtures for green construction applications through 3D printing using Liquid Deposition Modeling (LDM) technology. To explore the development of mixtures with enhanced physical and mechanical properties, natural pine and cypress wood shavings were added in varying proportions (1%, 3%, and 5%) as sustainable additives. The aim of this study is twofold: first, to demonstrate the printability of these eco-friendly mortars that can be used for conservation purposes and overcome the challenges of incorporating bio-products in 3D printing; and second, to develop sustainable composites that align with the objectives of the European Green Deal, offering low-emission construction solutions. The proposed mortars use hydrated lime and natural pozzolan as binders, river sand as an aggregate, and a polycarboxylate superplasticizer. While most studies with bio-products focus on traditional methods, this research provides proof of concept for their use in 3D printing. The study results indicate that, at low percentages, both additives had minimal effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the tested mortars, whereas higher percentages led to progressively more significant deterioration. Additionally, compared to molded specimens, the 3D-printed mortars exhibited slightly reduced mechanical strength and increased porosity, attributable to insufficient compaction during the printing process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials for Sustainable Buildings)

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Review

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32 pages, 5238 KB

Open AccessReview

Simulation- and Metamodel-Based Multi-Objective Optimization for Sustainable Building Retrofit Across Climatic Conditions

by Sk. Reza-E-Rabbi, Muhammed A. Bhuiyan, Guomin Zhang, Shanuka Dodampegama and Kanishka Atapattu

Materials 2026, 19(8), 1649; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19081649 - 20 Apr 2026

Viewed by 345

Abstract

Building retrofit optimization has gained increasing attention as a pathway to improve energy performance and support sustainability. This review examines 162 studies and synthesizes simulation-based (SBMOO) and metamodel-based (MBMOO) multi-objective optimization techniques for building retrofit across climatic conditions. The review also analyzes passive, active, and combined retrofit strategies and evaluates how climatic context influences their suitability and performance. Passive strategies typically involve envelope- or material-related upgrades, whereas active strategies focus on building systems. Energy efficiency, comfort, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact are identified as the major performance metrics for retrofit evaluation. Sustainability metric such as life cycle assessment (LCA) has yet to be used adequately to evaluate retrofit measures, while social objectives are also less explored. SBMOO provides robust optimization but can be computationally intensive, whereas MBMOO improves computational efficiency through surrogate modeling but depends strongly on dataset quality, sampling strategy, and surrogate model selection. In contrast to earlier reviews that usually emphasize either optimization techniques or retrofit measures independently, this study integrates optimization pathway comparison with climate-based analysis of retrofit strategies. The review also finds that most studies are highly case-specific, limiting transferability across climates, building types, and retrofit contexts. Therefore, this work proposes a synthesized framework to support structured selection of baseline modeling and optimization pathways for future retrofit studies. Overall, the review identifies current methodological trends, key research gaps, and future directions for more consistent and climate responsive retrofit decision-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials for Sustainable Buildings)

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