Contribution of Bio-Based Buildings Made with Seaweed and Seagrass in the Construction Industry.

Due to the construction industry, the climate crisis had deepest environmental impact. In addition to consuming scarce mineral-based materials, the building industry is responsible for up to 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions and the accumulation of solid waste in landfills, rivers, and seas. To cut carbon dioxide emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change on the construction industry, a new, more sustainable, and renewable production matrix must be considered. An approach is using seaweed and seagrass as bio-based materials matrix, from macroalgae or microalgae stranded on the shore or sustainable crops. Transforming algae into usable construction materials involves a process of harvesting, processing, and refining. This article has systematically reviewed the literature about advances and the potential of using marine species as construction materials matrix. To this end, this paper explores the existing literature on architectural projects and research on various species of seagrass and seaweed worldwide. This review concludes that numerous case studies of dwellings around the world have demonstrated and validated the use of seaweed for applications such as coatings, thermal insulation, and construction additives. Among the most important construction related properties of seaweed are fire resistance, low thermal conductivity, and resistance to moisture and insect damage. For instance, prototypes incorporating Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica) exhibited a thermal conductivity of 0.044 W/m·K comparable to that of expanded polystyrene, which typically ranges between 0.035 and 0.037 W/m·K.