Stabilized rammed earth incorporating PCM: Optimization and improvement of thermal properties and Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

In this paper PCM is added to three types of stabilized rammed. Mechanical and thermal characterization is carried out. To do so, the compressive strength is optimized and the final compositions obtained are used to formulate the materials which will be thermally characterized. The optimization process is done with a design of experiments (DoE) and a variance analysis (ANOVA). Finally, LCA is used to evaluate the environmental impact during the manufacturing phase, due to the addition of stabilizers and PCM in the rammed earth.

The work is partially funded by the Spanish government (ENE2008-06687-C02-01/CON, ENE2011- 28269-C03-01 and ENE2011-28269-C03-02) and the European Union (COST Action TU0802). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group GREA (2009 SGR 534) and research group DIOPMA (2009 SGR 645). Lídia Rincón would like to thank the University of Lleida for her research fellowship.