The Viability of Biochar in the Built Environment
Team: Andreea Moisei - Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Researcher; Malini Srivastava
Program: Architecture, UROP
This research aimed to test the viability of substituting biochar in building materials in place of cement, or in addition to concrete recipes. This research looked specifically into the potential for biochar as brick-like building blocks by testing its ability to be molded, as well as its compressive, and three-point bending strength. Through this research, it was hoped to uncover whether local biochar can become a viable alternative to other regularly used building and design materials, such as concrete blocks or bricks, that have much greater embodied carbon footprints.
Nine concrete recipes varying in the amount of biochar substituted for either the sand or cement content were tested for their maximum compressive strength and three-point bending load capacities on both their horizontal and vertical spans, as well as quantitatively observed during mixing and curing. Through this testing, at 13 days post mix, it was found that the concrete formula C20, or where 20% of the cement in the recipe was substituted with biochar, held the highest maximum loads for horizontal three-point bending capacities when compared to other recipe counterparts and our control formula. Meanwhile, C10, or where 10% of the cement was substituted with biochar, held the highest max loads in the vertical three-point bending.
Keywords: Biochar, Carbon Sequestration, Sustainability, Embodied Carbon
Funder: Funding from UROP
Other Collaborators: Malini Srivastava- Faculty Mentor
