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Low-Carbon and Eco-Friendly Construction Materials: Solutions for Sustainable Building and Resource Efficiency

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 913

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chadi Maalouf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ITHEMM, University of Reims Champagne Ardennes, Moulin de la Housse, 51687 Reims, France
Interests: bio-sourced materials; hygrothermal transfer; building physics; civil engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Guillaume Polidori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ITHEMM, University of Reims Champagne Ardennes, Moulin de la Housse, 51687 Reims, France
Interests: earth materials; civil engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Christophe Bliard

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ICMR, University of Reims Champagne Ardennes, Moulin de la Housse, 51687 Reims, France
Interests: chemical modifications; separation; analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry is facing increasing pressure to innovate and adopt advanced technologies and low-carbon materials to significantly reduce its energy consumption, mitigate environmental impacts such as resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change, and promote a more sustainable and circular approach to building practices. The application of sustainable materials such as low-carbon concrete, earth materials and bio-based building materials could reduce these impacts by using renewable or low-carbon resources that possess interesting physical properties. The durability of these materials is an important issue as they should resist fire, water, and mold growth, and present low toxicity to the environment and users. In the literature, studies on the durability of green building composites mainly focus on composites that use cement as a binder. For bio-based materials, depending on the chemical composition of the fiber and the manufacturing of the composite, the aging of the fiber can be accelerated or limited. In addition, alkaline or other pretreatments (adjuvants added to the matrix) can preserve the fiber, increasing the durability of the composite. However, our current scientific knowledge relating to the durability of starch composites in civil engineering is very limited.  Furthermore, another important issue to address is the end-of-life and recyclability of materials.  This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research articles and reviews whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:The development and characterization of earth materials, low-carbon concrete and bio-based composites; their durability (mold growth, fire resistance, water resistance, aging) and applications in the building sector; fiber treatment; and the physical, chemical, and morphological properties of materials.

We also welcome the submission of studies that address the environmental impact of these materials and analyze their life cycle, recyclability, and end-of-life.  

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Chadi Maalouf
Dr. Guillaume Polidori
Dr. Christophe Bliard
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • low carbon concrete
  • geopolymers
  • earth materials
  • durability
  • end-of-life
  • bio-based materials
  • fire resistance
  • water resistance
  • accelerated ageing
  • LCA

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 8622 KiB  
Article
Low-Carbon Insulating Geopolymer Binders: Thermal Properties
by Agnieszka Przybek, Jakub Piątkowski, Paulina Romańska, Michał Łach and Adam Masłoń
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6898; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156898 - 29 Jul 2025
Abstract
In the context of the growing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop sustainable solutions for the construction industry, foamed geopolymers represent a promising alternative to traditional binders and insulation materials. This study investigates the thermal properties of novel low-emission, insulating [...] Read more.
In the context of the growing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop sustainable solutions for the construction industry, foamed geopolymers represent a promising alternative to traditional binders and insulation materials. This study investigates the thermal properties of novel low-emission, insulating geopolymer binders made from fly ash with diatomite, chalcedonite, and wood wool aiming to assess their potential for use in thermal insulation systems in energy-efficient buildings. The stability of the foamed geopolymer structure is also assessed. Measurements of thermal conductivity, specific heat, microstructure, density, and compressive strength are presented. The findings indicate that the selected geopolymer formulations exhibit low thermal conductivity, high heat capacity and low density, making them competitive with conventional insulation materials—mainly load-bearing ones such as aerated concrete and wood wool insulation boards. Additionally, incorporating waste-derived materials reduces the production carbon footprint. The best results are represented by the composite incorporating all three additives (diatomite, chalcedonite, and wood wool), which achieved the lowest thermal conductivity (0.10154 W/m·K), relatively low density (415 kg/m3), and high specific heat (1.529 kJ/kg·K). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Eco-Friendly Construction Materials: Solutions for Sustainable Building and Resource Efficiency)
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Review

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28 pages, 4993 KiB  
Review
A Review of Industrial By-Product Utilization and Future Pathways of Circular Economy: Geopolymers as Modern Materials for Sustainable Building
by Kinga Korniejenko, Janusz Mikuła, Karolina Brudny, Lyazat Aruova, Alibek Zhakanov, Assel Jexembayeva and Lailya Zhaksylykova
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4536; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104536 - 15 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 683
Abstract
In the era of increasing climatic requirements and changing approaches towards circular economy (CE), the demand for materials designed with care for the environment is growing. This idea is especially important in the construction industry, where ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production emits a [...] Read more.
In the era of increasing climatic requirements and changing approaches towards circular economy (CE), the demand for materials designed with care for the environment is growing. This idea is especially important in the construction industry, where ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production emits a large number of greenhouse gases. The main aim of this article is to demonstrate the possibility of using industrial waste for geopolymer production according to CE goals, including closing material loops. This work is based on a critical analysis of the literature and selected case studies. The most important findings of this article allow us to confirm that the role of industrial waste in the construction industry is growing and that industrial by-products are valuable sources for geopolymer production. The development of sustainable materials allows the introduction of closed loops into production processes by making it possible to reuse materials after the end of use, which is an important issue in the context of introducing CE into practice, especially in existing systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Eco-Friendly Construction Materials: Solutions for Sustainable Building and Resource Efficiency)
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