Tânia Santos

• PhD Student
• Universidade NOVA de Lisboa

Earth plasters have several advantages. Nevertheless, they are vulnerable when in contact with liquid water. For that reason, they have low durability when applied as an outdoor coating or in indoor areas with potential contact with water. In this study, the influence of six different surface treatments (traditional and innovative, based on raw mat...

It is increasingly necessary to rethink constructive solutions to minimize the construction industry’s environmental impact without compromising technical characteristics, including conservation. The replacement of natural sand by ceramic waste and clayish earth was analyzed in the fresh and hardened state of earth and air lime mortars. Seven diffe...

Earth mortars and gypsum mortars present ecological advantages compared to mortars made with other common binders. When applied as plasters, they are also referred as having advantages in improving comfort and indoor air quality. For earth plasters, this improvement is associated with the hygroscopic capacity of the clay minerals, which promotes hi...

The health and comfort of building inhabitants are significantly affected by indoor air properties. Currently, there is sufficient scientific evidence associating discomfort and unpleasant indoor environment, reported by building occupants, with construction materials used inside those buildings. Hygienic and human-toxicological aspects need to be...

It is important to ensure indoor comfort by passive methods, avoiding mechanical equipment that has energy costs. To assess plasters common efficiency but also its contribution as moisture buffers, five different plastering mortars, including unstabilized and stabilized earth-based plasters, gypsum and cement-based pre-mixed plasters, were analyzed...

Earth-based plasters can be very eco-efficient both in terms of embodied energy and technical efficiency, although they are vulnerable to water when unstabilized. An experimental campaign was developed to assess the workability and the mechanical properties of formulated earth-based plastering mortars with a 1:3 (illitic clayish earth:aggregate) vo...

In conservation, earth renders can be used as sacrificial coatings. However, earth presents vulnerability when in contact with water. The application of ecological surface treatments on earth renders can be of great relevance, ensuring their durability while increasing eco-efficiency and extending its range of applications. The behaviour of a ready...

Em conservação, os rebocos de terra podem ser utilizados como camadas de sacrifício. No entanto, a terra é vulnerável quando em contacto com a água. A aplicação de tratamentos superficiais ecológicos em rebocos de terra pode aumentar a sua durabilidade, ecoeficiência e gama de aplicações. Neste artigo avaliou-se o comportamento de um reboco de arga...

Earth mortars are known for being ecological but also reversible, contributing to comfort and aesthetic. Nevertheless, compatibility with different masonries is scarcely assessed. A commercial unstabilised ready-mixed earth mortar was produced with an ilitic earth with addition of sand and oat straw fibres. It was used to plaster different experime...

Earth construction, including the use of earth mortars, has been extensively used in the past. However, with the appearance of hydraulic binders, the use of earth strongly decreased for new construction and even to repair old earth buildings, whose best solution would be the use of compatible materials such as earth mortars.Due to the innumerable a...

An experimental campaign was developed to evaluate the properties of earth plastering mortars, not only at the level of workability and physic-mechanical performance but also their susceptibility for biological colonization. A ready-mixed earth mortar and several other mortars formulated with a raw clayish earth were produced. The influence of part...

Earth mortars are present in several building materials markets because of numerous advantages, particularly economic and ecological. Portugal has a vast earthen built heritage and these mortars are the most suitable for their rehabilitation and conservation. However, although some studies have been carried out on the behaviour of this type of mort...

Earthen plastering mortars are becoming recognized as highly eco-efficient. The assessment of their technical properties needs to be standardized, but only a German standard exists for the moment. An extended experimental campaign was developed in order to assess multiple properties of a ready-mixed earth plastering mortar and also to increase scie...