Mechanical and Water Characterization of a Light Concrete Based on Typha Australis

This article is devoted to the study of the mechanical and water properties of concrete of Typha australis. The concrete is achieved by the mixture cattail aggregates with cement, sand and water. Mechanical study showed that the density and the mechanical compressive strength decreases with the dosage of typha aggregates, and increases with the dosage of cement. However, the values obtained do not allow using this concrete in supporting structures. However, the value obtained is 0.16 MPa for the first series (S1), and 0.26 MPa for the second series (S2), for a high dosage of typha of 3.5% is sufficient for a wall of three meters high can support its own load. With a constant intrinsic porosity, these aggregates are compressible and porous. This physical condition makes the vegetable particles of typha very lightweight and sensitive to water. The lightweight concrete became sensitive to water. Increasing the dosage of typha aggregates increase the water absorption of concrete. More than 50% of the water content is absorbed during thirty minutes of immersion. It is therefore strongly recommended to waterproof the wall with typha australis.

The Morphological and Functional Organization of Cattails Typha laxmannii Lepech. and Typha australis Schum. and Thonn. under Soil Pollution by Potentially Toxic Elements

The aim of this study is to investigate the adaptation of two species of cattail Typha australis Schum. and Thonn. and Typha laxmannii Lepech. based on analysis of the morphological and anatomical features of their vegetative and generative organs to soil pollution with potentially toxic elements (PTE) in the riparian zones of the sea edge of the Don River delta (Southern Russia). Both species of the cattail are able to accumulate high concentrations of Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb and can be used for phytoremediation of polluted territories. The pattern of PTE accumulation in hydrophytes has changed on polluted soils of coastal areas from roots/rhizomes > inflorescences > stems to roots/rhizomes > stems ≥ inflorescences. The comparative morphological and anatomical analysis showed a statistically significant effect of the environmental stress factor by the type of proliferation in T. australis, and species T. laxmannii was visually in a depressed, deformed state with mass manifestations of hypogenesis. These deformations should be considered, on one hand, as adaptive, but on the other, as pathological changes in the structure of the spikes of the cattails. Light-optical and electron microscopic studies have shown that the degree and nature of ultrastructural changes in cattails at the same level of soil pollution are different and most expressed in the assimilation tissue of leaves. However, these changes were destructive for T. australis, but for T. laxmannii, these indicated a high level of adaptation to the prolonged technogenic impact of PTE.

Optimization of the Mechanical Formulation of Typha Concrete

In order to address energy efficiency issues in the building sector, we conducted this study which focuses on the optimization of the mechanical characteristics of Typha concrete for its use in load-bearing structures of buildings. The fact that buildings are very energy-intensive makes it essential to develop new forms of construction based on bioclimatic architecture and the valorization of certain materials considered as waste in construction. To achieve these objectives, wehave targeted the use of Typha Australis thanks to its great availability and high thermalinsulation capacity. Thus, starting from the composition of a control concrete determined bythe DreuxGorisse formulation method with a characteristic compressive strength of 20 MPaat 28 days, Typha S1 series concretes are formulated with the substitution of sand up to 40, 50,and 60% of Typha. In order to increase the mechanical strength of Typha S1 series concretes,the cement class and G/S ratio are increased for the second S2 series.At the end of this research, the results obtained show that some of these concretes withdifferent proportions of Typha have good mechanical performance, which depends on theirstructural use.

The Challenges of Local and Bio-Sourced Materials on Thermal Performance: Review, Classification and Opportunity

This paper reviews local and bio-sourced materials for construction through their thermomechanical characteristics, but with an emphasis on their thermal conductivity that allows us to assess the thermal performance (insulation) of these materials. Then, we discuss the energy problems in Mauritania, while highlighting the local and bio-sourced materials existing in this country. These materials could be an alternative to solve these energy problems. Finally, we focus on the thermal performance of Typha Australis, a plant that grows abundantly in fresh water mainly in Senegal and Mauritania, which would have good advantages over the thermal performance of the building.

Adsorption of Methylene Blue from aqueous solution using Senegal River Typha australis

In this work, batch adsorption experiments were carried out for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solutions using Typha australis leaf as a low cost adsorbent. The effects of some variables governing the efficiency of the process such as adsorbent mass, pH, ionic strength, contact time and temperature were investigated. The adsorption kinetic data were analyzed using the Pseudo First Order (PFO) and Pseudo Second Order (PSO) models. The experimental equilibrium data were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The results show that the PSO model is the best for describing the adsorption of MB by Typha australis for all initial MB concentrations. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir model with the monolayer adsorption capacity for MB-Typha australis leaf system was of 103.12 mg g-1. The values of activation parameters such as free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) were also determined as - 4.44 kJ mol−1, 55.13 kJ mol−1 and 203.21 J mol−1 K−1, respectively. The thermodynamics parameters of MB-Typha australis system indicate spontaneous and endothermic process. These results indicate that the Typha australis leaf can be feasibly employed for the eradication of MB from aqueous solution.

Thermal performance of biosourced materials on Buildings: The case of Typha Australis

Developing countries are facing population growth, which leads, on the one hand, to increased requirements for buildings and, on the other hand, to the depletion of fossil fuels along with exposure, of people living in those areas, to some detrimental consequences of climate change. Because of these factors, we propose approaches to control energy consumption in buildings. In some countries, the architectures adopted are not adequate to the environment and climate, resulting in discomfort in those buildings, in such circumstances, residents resort to the use of energy systems, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, which leads to exorbitant electricity bills. Housing consumes 40% of the world's energy and is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions. Optimizing energy needs in buildings is a solution to overcome these problems. For this purpose, there are solutions such as: the design of the building characterized by its shape and envelope, while using less energy-consuming equipment. For several years, the building materials sector has been developing with a particular focus on bio-source materials, which are generally materials with good thermal performance. In order to highlight the thermal performance of bio-source materials, we will study the case of Typha Australis which is a plant of the Typhaceae family that grows abundantly in an aquatic environment mainly in the Senegal River valley.Recent studies showed that Typha Australis has good thermal insulation properties. In order to determine the impact of Typha Australis on a building, a dynamic thermal simulation was carried out using the Trnsys software according to specific scenarios, the Typha was mixed with other local materials and used as a wall insulation panel, the result of the study shows that this fiber has allowed us to optimize energy consumption in a building. Mixing Typha with other materials (e. g. clay) is a promising solution for energy efficiency in buildings.

The influence of Typha Australis as an insulation panel on the thermal performance of building

Typha Australis is a plant that grows abundantly in fresh water. The proliferation of this plant causes health problems, so several measures have been taken to eradicate this problem such as: cutting the plant, coal production. So this article is about the valorisation of this plant as a bio-based material in order to solve the energy problem in the building. In this study, clay was used as a binder with a given percentage. The mixture of clay and Typha was used as an insulation panel and a comparison was made with a conventional habitat without an insulation panel. A dynamic thermal simulation was performed on TRNSYS to evaluate the influence of the use of this insulation panel on the energy consumption in the building. The results of the comparison showed that the use of this insulation panel, which is a mixture of clay and Typha Australis, reduced the energy requirement by 23%, which is a satisfactory result.