Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2024 - 40

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TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
This monthly column explores the inter-relationships between technology and society. It features people and projects aiming to
deliver a positive impact on the world facing unprecedented social and environmental challenges.
Advancing Low-Carbon Building Materials for
Construction
A nature-based solution with locally available earthen materials could aid in building
climate-resilient infrastructure.
" E
verything old is new again
and that is precisely why
we've been investigating rammed
earth construction, " said Sumi Siddiqua,
Civil Engineering Professor
and Lead Researcher with The University
of British Columbia's Advanced
Geomaterials Testing Lab.
Siddiqua is part of a research group
at UBC Okanagan that's revisiting
old building practices - the use of
by-products and cast-offs - as a way
to improve building materials and
sustainability of the trade.
Siddiqua's research group at
Under most circumstances,
test results show fly ash enhances
the structure's properties and
makes it suitable for use in cold
and hot climates as load-bearing,
non-load-bearing, and isolation
panel walls. Fly ash also has
the added benefit of providing
increased insulation properties,
and being available in remote
communities.
Sumi Siddiqua's (left) research group at UBC investigates low-carbon
building materials for climate-resilient infrastructure. (Image:
UBC Engineering)
UBC investigates low-carbon building
materials for climate-resilient infrastructure.
It uses sustainable additives to
modernize an ancient building technology,
rammed earth. The construction of
rammed earth minimizes the exploitation
of virgin materials and primarily uses
locally available earthen materials.
One such alternative is wood fly ash, a
by-product of pulp mills and also fly ash
that is a by-product of coal-fired power
plants, explained Siddiqua. Industry has
been trying to find a use for materials like
fly ash that predominantly end up in landfills.
Better described as a fine powder, fly
AT A GLANCE
INNOVATORS: Sumi Siddiqua, Lead
Researcher, UBC's Advanced Geomaterials
Testing Lab.
INNOVATION: Low-carbon building
materials for climate-resilient infrastructure.
IMPACT: Using local soil along with
rammed earth products reduces sand
exploitation and increases insulation
properties and strength of the buildings.
40
ash shares the same strength and texture
characteristics as cement, and is often added
to concrete to enhance its strength.
According to her, wood ash production
is remarkably increasing due to biomass
production as a renewable form of
energy. " The ash is currently landfilled
in vast areas at a cost, incurring environmental
concerns and taking up valuable
land space. On the other hand, extensive
use of coal fly ash and the trend away
from burning coal has led to the material's
scarcity and high price. "
" There are many benefits to using this
material, " said Siddiqua, adding that
" Using local soil along with rammed
earth products reduces sand exploitation.
And just as importantly, this material
is not affected by wildfires to the same
extent as current wooden structures. "
With international shortages in construction
sand, builders are searching for
cheap, and readily available materials that
are equally as strong, for next-generation
cement. Together with BC Housing, a
provincial Crown agency responsible for
subsidized housing options, UBC's Build
Better Cluster is partnering with Indigenous
communities to integrate rammed
earth into the construction of new homes.
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Although Siddiqua doesn't foresee
a huge uptick in rammed earth
homes and buildings sprouting up
in the short term, the addition of
materials like fly ash into composite
cements has already begun.
" There is an increasing trend in
rammed earth utilization, primarily for
aesthetic walls and panels. We hope
that with further research in this field,
we can draw more attention and trust
to using rammed earth as a structural
part, " she said.
The next steps to facilitate rammed
earth utilization are large-scale laboratory
tests to simulate real-life loading
situations. " Moreover, our group is investigating
the viability of carbon capture
and storage in rammed earth to
produce net-zero or negative-emission
building materials, " Siddiqua added.
The research was supported by a Natural
Science and Engineering Research
Council of Canada Discovery and Engage
grant.
" There is an increasing demand for
sustainable building products here in
Canada and around the world, and materials
like fly ash are just the start of a new
and important trend, " Siddiqua said.
This article was written by Chitra
Sethi, Editorial Director, SAE Media
Group. For more information, visit
news.ok.ubc.ca.
Tech Briefs, August 2024

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Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2024

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