Resistance to mold development assessment of bio-based building materials

Resistance to mold development assessment of bio-based building materials
Written by esba

Nowadays, insulating building materials are developed from the valorization of agro-resources. They show high ecological and hygrothermal performance. Before making them available on the market, there is a need to classify them according to their decay resistance. This paper aims to propose a test method that qualifies bio-based composites with respect to their performance. An accelerated aging test was carried out on 5 composites made with two different agro-resources (hemp and rape) and with different binders. It consists of exposing the specimens to (30 °C; 90% RH) for three months. During the test, the specimens are regularly weighed and photographed. The sample mass and the percentage of surfaces contaminated by fungi are measured during the test. Finally, a microscopic view allows identifying the species of the developed molds.

Authors:

  1. Viel, Marie
  2. ColletFlorence
  3. LecieuxYann
  4. François, Marc Louis Maurice
  5. Colson, Valentin
  6. Lanos, Christophe
  7. Hussain, Atif
  8. Lawrence, Mike

Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359836818312873

About the author

esba

The European Straw Building Association is an independent European association, devoid of any profit making motive. The object of the Association is to promote and develop the use of straw, as a sustainable way of building in all the senses of the term “sustainable”: renewable, ecological, healthy, energy and climate efficient, social and economic.
The Association is a federation composed of organisations and people particularly concerned with the use of straw in buildings.