Advances in Sustainable Building Materials

Modern society is highly dependent on the production and use of traditional building materials, which contribute to environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources. The production of these traditional materials causes a significant environmental burden, contributing to global carbon emissions. Meanwhile, large amounts of industrial waste are disposed of, although they may be suitable for replacing part of the raw mixture in various construction materials, such as cements, bricks, or alkali-activated materials. Furthermore, natural raw materials are limited, and partial replacement with secondary raw materials is becoming crucial. For example, due to the ever-increasing brick production, there is already a shortage of clay in many regions. In the construction sector, recent decarbonisation efforts focus on reducing the firing temperature of carbonate raw materials and on CO2 sequestration into stable minerals.

Replacing natural raw materials with secondary ones, such as industrial mineral wastes and by-products, introduces impurities into the raw material mixture, which can affect the performance of the final products. Moreover, the composition of secondary raw materials varies between different producers. Therefore, it is crucial to study these materials in different regions. Although most sustainable construction materials based on low-carbon cements show good engineering performance, further demonstration of their long-term performance and environmental sustainability is needed before wider application. In addition, industrial by-products such as slags and ashes can contain increased amounts of heavy metals, requiring leaching tests in accordance with national legislation. On the other hand, although natural clays and bio-based materials usually do not contain harmful substances, they can exhibit poor mechanical performance and a high capacity to absorb and retain water, which affects their durability.

The scope of this Research Topic, Sustainable Building Materials, is to comprehensively examine advanced sustainable construction materials derived from natural or waste sources. It highlights current challenges facing sustainable building materials and promotes further research, aiming to facilitate their development and accelerate the use of these materials in real living environments. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Advanced applications of clay in construction materials,
• Bio-based and regenerative materials such as hemp,
• Substitution of natural resources with secondary raw materials,
• Carbon sequestration, and
• all low-carbon and circular binders.

Research or review papers should focus on the influence of chemical composition, mineralogy, and/or microstructure on the performance of sustainable construction materials. They may also address long-term performance, environmental performance, and life-cycle assessment.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Natural raw materials, Secondary raw materials, Sustainable building materials, Mineralogy, Microstructure, Mechanical performance, Environmental performance

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.