Influence of lignocellulosic aggregate coating with paraffin wax on flax shive and cement-shive composite properties

Due to their low cost, lightweight and thermal insulation properties, lignocellulosic by-products received a particular attention, in the recent years, for manufacturing lightweight concretes. However these by-products are not fully compatible with cement matrix leading to setting delay, significant dimensional variations, and low mechanical strengths. To avoid such drawbacks, a coating process of flax shives using paraffin wax is proposed in this study. This will lead to reduction in shive water absorption. Compared to composites elaborated with raw shives, the composite obtained in this work exhibited significant improvements in hydrous behavior and mechanical strengths with moderate increase in apparent bulk density and thermal conductivity.