This study is dedicated to the development of an environmentally friendly building material made from non-fired clay, stabilized with various biopolymers (starch, alginate, and chitosan). The efficacy of the application of natural polymers has already been proven in the geotechnical industry for soil stabilization [1,2,3]. The authors believe that the use of natural polymers will have a positive impact on the physical–mechanical and operational properties of the newly obtained building material made from non-fired clay. With the addition of different concentrations (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) of biopolymer solutions, the density of the clay composites was reduced by up to 9% (from 1990 to 1810 kg/m3). The inclusion of starch and alginate contributed to an increase in the strength of the clay composite of up to 42% (from 6.6 to 9.4 MPa). However, the application of 10% chitosan resulted in a 20% decrease in strength (from 6.6 to 5.3 MPa). The conducted research confirms that biopolymers are a promising stabilizer for non-fired clay composites. Nevertheless, to create an effective building material, it is essential to consider the type of clay and biopolymer, as well as their interaction potential and compatibility.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, Y.T. and O.K.; methodology, O.K. and V.K.; validation, Y.T., O.K. and V.K.; data curation, O.K.; writing—original draft preparation, Y.T.; writing—review and editing, O.K. and V.K.; visualization, Y.T.; supervision, O.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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