Cementitious building materials reinforced with vegetable fibres: A review

The construction industry is responsible for the depletion of large amounts of nonrenewable resources. This activity generates not only millions of tons of mineral waste but also millions of tons of carbon dioxide gas emissions. Therefore, research about building materials based on renewable resources like vegetable fibres is needed. This paper discusses the use of vegetable fibres as reinforcement in cement based materials. It includes fibre characteristics, properties and the description of the treatments that improve their performance; it covers the compatibility between the fibres and the cement matrix and also how the fibres influence cement properties. It also includes the properties and durability performance of cementitious materials reinforced with vegetable fibres. Furthermore future research trends are also suggested. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.