Textile-Reinforced Compressed Earth Bricks Stronger, Sustainable
A joint study by the University of Seville, Spain, and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, have come up with an innovative new textile-reinforced compressed brick building material. The study, focusing on sustainable building materials, was recently published in the journal Construction and Building Materials.
The bricks were produced in Scotland using locally-sourced, clay-based soils, surplus wool textiles, and alginate, a polymer found in the cell walls of brown algae, and were compressed -- not fired like bricks made from Portland cement. Though not typically as strong as fired bricks, compressed bricks (or stabilized compressed earth blocks) are code legal in a number of states, mostly in the southwest, and are significantly stronger than adobe. The textile-reinforced blocks are stronger yet, and dont suffer from many of the problems traditional compressed blocks do when it comes to cracking due to heat loading or changes in relative humidity.
Another bonus is what the textile-reinforced bricks dont have: Carbon dioxide released by Portland cement, and the huge amount of energy required to fire traditional bricks.
