Suitability of using areca nut fiber as reinforcing material in compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) for low-cost housing
Published in Civil Engineering
My name is Atique Ishrak Anik, and I would like to share my journey from conceiving a random idea to developing an innovative building material concept. It all began in 2022 when I was tasked with my undergraduate thesis. While my classmates were exploring existing research works, I sought an innovative solution to improve construction practices for low-income communities in Bangladesh. Initially drawn to Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEBs), I found a lack of recent advancements in the field.
Extensive research led me to explore the integration of natural fibers such as jute, coconut coir, banana fiber, and sisal fiber to address the low tensile strength, water absorption rate, and density issues of CSEBs. One day, while wandering around the New Market area of Chattogram city, I stumbled upon a large quantity of arecanut husks strewn across the street. This serendipitous encounter sparked an idea. Upon tracing the source of the fiber to a nearby vendor selling arecanuts, commonly known as betelnuts in Bangladesh, I discovered another alarming sight – piles of arecanut husks discarded near drains.
Upon inquiry, the vendor explained that these husks were deemed useless. Motivated by the environmental implications of such waste, I rushed back to my university campus, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, to delve into researching arecanut husks. Surprisingly, there was minimal existing research on utilizing this fiber in any industry. Determined to make a difference, I proposed incorporating arecanut fibers into CSEBs. With the support of my supervisor, Dr. Md. Moinul Islam, and the encouragement of another esteemed professor, Dr. Md. Saiful Islam, I embarked on this endeavor.
Through our collaborative efforts, we successfully enhanced the properties of CSEBs by incorporating 0.85% of arecanut fiber by weight of soil. During the course of my research, I engaged with Mr. Babu, a local vendor of arecanuts, who agreed to supply arecanut husks instead of discarding them in drains upon understanding the environmental consequences. His willingness to participate encouraged me to consider scaling up the idea to an industrial level, thereby mitigating environmental hazards.
After completing our study in March 2023, we diligently documented our findings and submitted them for publication. Following a thorough peer review process, our study was accepted in the Discover Civil Engineer Journal (open access) by Springer Link, providing a platform to disseminate our research and make it accessible to a wider audience.
I am deeply grateful to the Almighty Allah and my parents, Md. Rozab Ali Biswas and Nilufa Easmin, for their unwavering support during challenging times. For those interested, my work can be accessed via the provided link.
Thank you.
I am a structural Engineer. My interest is in innovative housing materials for low income communities .
Follow the Topic
-
Discover Civil Engineering
This is a fully open access, peer-reviewed journal that supports multidisciplinary research and policy developments across the field of civil engineering.
Related Collections
With Collections, you can get published faster and increase your visibility.
Management in Civil Engineering
Management in civil engineering is an important field as it enables civil engineering managers to combine their technical knowledge with management skills to effectively design, plan, and oversee construction projects. By demonstrating their management skills, they can complete construction projects on time, within budget, and to quality and safety standards. Since construction projects usually involve huge capital investment, management is considered as a prerequisite tool in modern civil engineering.
To ensure the success of a construction project, a myriad of management skills are required. For example, it is crucial to enhance the site environment, with a focus on various critical dimensions, such as individual and collective performance, employee well-being, and project efficiency. Research may also involve investigations that employ a multidisciplinary analytical framework, drawing insights from diverse areas, including behavioral sciences, work psychology, and occupational risk and health, to name just a few.
We are looking for contributions that explore a wide range of topics within the field of management in civil engineering. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- General management (office, human resources, leadership, strategic planning, sales and marketing, risk, change, team, communication, training and development, etc.)
- Project management
- Contract management
- Cost and financial management
- Information management
- Professional practice and development
- Ethics, globalization, and de-globalization issues
Papers discussing ways to inform, develop, and inspire sustainable practices are particularly welcome. Research papers, review papers, and conceptual papers are all invited.
Articles will go through all the journal’s standard peer review and editorial processes outlined in its submission guidelines.
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 11 Hub: Sustainable Cities & Communities.
Keywords: general management, project management, contract management, cost and financial management, information management, professional practice and development, ethics and globalization issues, sustainable management.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Jan 31, 2026
New Trends in Additive Manufacturing for Sustainable Construction Materials
The market for 3D printing buildings is experiencing rapid growth worldwide. As reported by Straits Research, the global 3D printing construction market size was worth USD 1,10 billion in 2021 and it is expected to reach USD 585,84 billion by 2030, growing at an impressive CAGR during the upcoming period (2022-2030). Construction companies, technology providers, and architectural firms are actively exploring and investing in 3D printing technologies to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and address sustainability concerns. In few words, the implementation of additive manufacturing in the construction industry is globally on the rise.
In this context, additive manufacturing has become a very attractive topic for researchers too, specifically for those working in the field of construction materials, design of structures and construction technologies. Current research aims to solve some gaps still currently present when designing, testing, assessing, and modeling 3D printed structures.
With this Topical Collection, entitled “New Trends in Additive Manufacturing for Sustainable Construction Materials”, we invite the scientific community to report on the most recent advances, novel insights, and case-studies on the following topics (but not limited to):
• Technologies for AM of construction materials;
• Development, optimization, testing eco-efficient printable materials;
• Durability, deterioration mechanisms, service life evaluation of 3D printed building materials;
• Artificial Intelligence applied to 3DP, material development and printing processes;
• Structural analysis, modelling, assessment and testing of additively manufactured materials and construction elements;
• Structural health monitoring of 3D-printed structures;
• Life cycle analysis (LCA), life cycle cost (LCC) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) of additively manufactured building materials and construction elements;
• Integration of AM into project management and building information modeling tools (BIM);
• Legal frameworks in the field of construction authorization practices for 3D-printed structures;
• Relevant case-studies (design, testing, field production).
Keywords: Additive manufacturing; sustainability; 3D printing; LCA; recycled materials; concrete; metals; earth-materials; geopolymers; digitalization.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Feb 28, 2026
Please sign in or register for FREE
If you are a registered user on Research Communities by Springer Nature, please sign in