Mechanical and environmental performance assessment of cotton stalk composites with natural adhesives for sustainable construction materials

Carbon dioxide emissions pose a global issue, with deforestation, forest loss from logging, fires, and construction highlighting the adverse effects of climate change. Urgent action is required to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and preserve forests. Egypt can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by effectively utilizing its waste resources, especially agricultural waste. The research focuses on developing environmentally friendly and sustainable construction materials with a forward-looking approach. This involves exploring alternative options for synthetic formaldehyde adhesives. This assessment emphasizes the significance of sustainability in the construction sector. The mechanical properties of the developed construction materials demonstrate higher tensile strength and Young's modulus values of 6.95 and 2493.5, respectively. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) was conducted for the production process of manufactured building materials, using 1000 kg of cotton stalk waste, and employing “open LCA software”. The assessment includes impact categories such as ecological footprint, greenhouse gas protocol, impact 2002 +, CML IA baseline, and ecosystem damage potential. Results indicate an impact of 179.411 kg of CO2 on global warming and a total ecological footprint of 2382.1722 m²a. The study also considers other impact categories, including carcinogens, respiratory organics, aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and land occupation and transformation.