The mechanical and physical properties of compressed earth block stabilized with lime and filled with untreated and alkali-treated date palm fibers

• Effect of untreated and alkali treated date palm fibers on the properties of CEB with quicklime is discussed.
• The alkali treatment of fibers did not improve the strength of the blocks.
• The bulk density and thermal conductivity decreased with increasing fibers content.
• The fibers alkali treatment of date palm fibers has a negative effect on thermal insulation of CEB.

Most developing countries have an urgent need to construct and build houses that are more durable at a low cost. The compressed earth block (CEB) has been identified as a low-cost material with the potential to redress the problem and reverse the shelter backlog. While its properties, using cement and lime, are well understood, the use of vegetal fibers with chemical stabilizers still raises a lot of questions. The principal objective of this research is to investigate the mechanical and physical properties of CEB stabilized with quicklime and filled with date palm fibers. The fibers have been chemically treated using an alkaline solution to enhance the fiber/matrix bonding consequently increases the mechanical strength. In this work, the effect of curing methods and curing time on mechanical strength of CEB was studied. The investigation results indicate that, although the strengths values of CEB filled with alkali treated fibers is slightly greater than that with untreated fibers, the fiber surface treatment did not result in an improvement in the fiber/matrix adhesion, leading to a decrease in strength of the blocks. The research findings show that the use of date palm fibers lead to a reduction in thermal conductivity and bulk density and increases the capillary absorption of the blocks. An adverse effect on thermal conductivity of CEB with alkali treated date palm fibers was observed.