The construction sector is projected to expand rapidly in the coming decades, in part due to the rising global population. At the same time, however, the sector faces pressure to significantly reduce embodied carbon to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In this context, bio-based construction materials are emerging as a promising solution to reduce the environmental footprint of the construction industry.1-5
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While materials like timber have been used for a long time for structural purposes, their performance remained inferior compared to reinforced concrete and steel. Nevertheless, the growing emphasis on sustainable development in recent years has led to the advancement and revival of bio-based materials in construction.1-5
Plant-Based Materials
Products created using plant-based materials have been extensively investigated in the construction industry. For instance, biocomposites obtained using mixed plant-based agricultural wastes are used as reinforcers, plasticizers, and insulators in cement production, and building waste materials with mycelium are reused to create biocomposite mycelium bricks.1,2
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Cement composites, reinforced cementitious panels, cement-based mortars, and other cement-based products have been developed using agricultural palm waste, rice fiber, reed fiber, and sugarcane bagasse ash, respectively. These materials exhibit enhanced compressive strength, while the cement-based mortar also demonstrates improved flexural strength.1,2
Beyond cement-based applications, coconut fiber, peat, sawdust, almond skin and starch, and bark resins from multiple trees have been used to create a wide variety of products. These include sound absorber materials, biopolymer composites with increased insulation properties, insulation panels, thermal materials, ceiling board, and fibrous thermal insulation.1,2
Reinforcing Concrete With Plant-Based Materials
Reinforced concrete has been made using coconut fiber, hemp, and flax fiber. Coconut-fiber concrete demonstrates increased compressive and bending strength, hemp-fiber models have better self-healing capabilities, and flax-fiber concretes have higher compressive strength. Mixed plant fibers, jute fiber, and pineapple leaf fibers have also shown promise for concrete reinforcement.1,2
Researchers have also explored other bio-based approaches to improving concrete performance. Palm kernel shell has been used in lightweight concrete aggregates, while microorganism-containing biofilm has increased the bioreceptivity of concrete. In addition, bamboo fibers have also been incorporated into cementitious materials to control cracking and reduce shrinkage in high-performance concrete.1,2
Nanocellulose and Cellulose Aerogels
In the past decade, nanotechnological advances have enabled the development of new biopolymer-based materials. Studies on cellulose nanocrystals represent a recent nanotech domain that promises high-performance, eco-efficient materials.1
Cellulose aerogel is also suitable for developing effective building materials for thermal insulation. These insulators have a thermal conductivity lower than 0.020 W/mK, outperforming existing petroleum-based materials like extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS), which have conductivity values around 0.03–0.06 W/mK.1
Efforts to commercialize these materials have also accelerated. Recently, a cellulose-based aerogel was manufactured by a Cambridge-based start-up, Nanoplume, through an ambient-pressure bio-based process that attains thermal conductivities within the super-insulating category. This addressed the challenges of scalability and cost that hinder the deployment of cellulose aerogel.1,3
Research is also expanding the range of potential applications. Additionally, highly transparent silanized cellulose aerogels were synthesized by researchers with 97–99% visible-range light transmission, approximately 1% haze, and lower thermal conductivity than still air. These cellulose aerogels are compatible with roll-to-roll processing and can be suitably integrated into window retrofits and multi-pane insulating glass units.1
In addition, such cellulose aerogels have been integrated into three-dimensional (3D)-printable biodegradable materials, paving the way for customized geometrically complex insulation components synthesized through additive manufacturing.1
Bio-Based Thermal Insulation Polymers and Polyurethanes
In recent years, the scientific community has made efforts to develop polyurethanes obtained from renewable polyols. For instance, rigid polyurethane foams with high density have been developed as structural thermal break materials using polyols obtained from renewable tall oil fatty acids.1
A study performing a comparative review of bio-based polyurethane insulations for construction concluded that bio-based components, like plant oils and natural fillers, preserve the mechanical integrity of insulation panels and improve heat-transfer and acoustic absorption properties through their porous microstructure.1,4
Most importantly, the study indicated that the overall eco-friendliness of insulation systems critically relies on the choice of bio-components across the supply chain rather than simply on the presence of bio-based content. Castor-oil-based polyurethane reinforced using açaí waste has been studied as an eco-efficient alternative for building insulation.1,4
Bio-Based Admixtures and Polymer Composites
About 15% of total ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete production consists of chemical admixtures to modify concrete properties in hardened and fresh states. These superplasticizers are based on synthetic polymers like naphthalene condensates, polycarboxylate copolymers, or melamine, which improve strength, workability, and durability.1
However, these admixtures are obtained from fossil fuels, which adversely affect the environment. In light of this, novel biodegradable polymers made from renewable sources have been researched; vegetable oils, protein hydrolysates, pine root extract, chitosan, starch, and lignosulfonate are bio-based admixtures currently being investigated for use in concrete production.1
A recent study reported a novel class of bio-based latex admixtures manufactured from rapeseed, camelina, and linseed vegetable oils. The admixtures were incorporated into OPC fine-grained mortars at 0.1 wt%.1
Results showed a 40% reduction in water absorption coefficient compared to control mixes, while compressive strength was comparable to that of conventional cement mortar.1
These results experimentally confirmed that at relevant dosage levels, bio-based polymer admixtures are viable alternatives to petrochemical solutions. Polymers reinforced using bio-sourced flax fibers could confine recycled aggregate concretes, offering consistent strain and strength enhancements.1
Similarly, studies have also demonstrated that natural-fiber-reinforced polymer (NFRP) materials can strengthen concrete columns and beams with specific formulations, realizing 20–40% cost efficiencies compared to comparable carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer systems.1
The Importance of Bio-Based Building Materials
The construction sector is increasingly under pressure to substantially reduce embodied carbon in line with policy frameworks like the European Green Deal and the Bioeconomy Strategy.1
In the United States alone, construction of new homes annually generates approximately 55 to 80 million tons of embodied carbon emissions, roughly equivalent to the total annual emissions of countries like Hungary, Norway, and Austria.5
Conventional petrochemical-derived materials cannot effectively resolve this issue. Bio-based building materials offer sustainable alternatives that reduce embodied carbon while maintaining, or sometimes even improving, structural, thermal, and durability performance.
Advances in plant-based composites, nanocellulose, cellulose aerogels, bio-based polyurethanes, and renewable polymer admixtures demonstrate significant potential to decarbonize construction, supporting circular economy principles and enabling more resource-efficient, high-performance buildings.
References and Further Reading
- Pacheco Torgal, F. (2026). Bio-Based Construction Materials in the Context of the EU Bioeconomy: Overcoming Systemic Barriers to Mainstream Adoption. Resources, 15(6). DOI: 10.3390/resources15060072, https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/15/6/72.
- Boros, A., & Tozsér, D. (2023). The emerging role of plant-based building materials in the construction industry - A bibliometric analysis. Resources, 12(10). https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/12/10/124.
- Wakley, M. (2025) Taking aerogel insulation from spacecraft to living space. [Online] Chemistry World. Available at: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/taking-aerogel-insulation-from-spacecraft-to-living-space/4022593.article.
- Zarmehr, S. P., Kazemi, M., Madasu, N. G. A., Lamanna, A. J., & Fini, E. H. (2025). Application of bio-based polyurethanes in construction: a state-of-the-art review. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107906, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344924004993.
- Magwood, C., Mercho, L. (2025) Building with Biomass 101: Turning Waste into Worth. [Online] RMI. Available at: https://rmi.org/resources/building-with-biomass-101-turning-waste-into-worth/.
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