Deciphering the role of magnesium in earth materials for sustainable construction
The following steps are planned to be investigated:
- Fundamental research on the effect of Mg-additives on workability, hardening, evolution of mineralogy and microstructure of stabilised raw earth materials;
- Evaluation of the effect of Mg-additives on the mechanical properties and on the reusability potential of such material;
- Optimisation of the resource chain via the implementation of a characterisation method for raw earths with regard to reactivity and content of magnesium.The novelty of the project relies on the combination of a comprehensive study of chemical and physical processes involved in Mg stabilisation, together with the understanding and optimisation of criteria for the development of the new sustainable building materials.
This project contains detail studies of the hydration processes, the chemistry, the microstructure and the mechanical properties and the environmental impacts of such building materials by means of the use of a large palette of characterisation techniques and expertises available at the Concrete and Asphalt Laboratory (C&A Lab) at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in Dübendorf and the Institute of Construction and Infrastructure Management (IBI), particularly at the Chair of Sustainable Construction at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich (ETHZ).
More info can be found here: externe Seitehttps://p3.snf.ch/project-201697call_made
Partners
ETH, Chair of Sustainable Construction
ETH, Clay Lab
University of Glasgow, James Watt School of Engineering
Imperial College London, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Funding Organization