Effect of Addition Date Palm Ash on Physical and Mechanical Properties and Hygroscopicity Behavior of Earth Mortars

Thousands of years ago, the majority of ancient civilizations worldwide used earth as a building material due to its low-cost, safety, contributions to thermal comfort, solving the problem of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, which are among the current major problems in the globe. In this context, since earth mortar is deemed to be one of the main components of earth construction, this article proposes a methodology for designing earth mortar in accordance with mechanical parameters, mechanical behavior and masonry physical properties, by valorizing the use of date palm ash (DPA) in this field. In this regard, we prepared samples of earth mortar stabilized with lime, added DPA in different doses (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% for the binder) and studied its impact on various properties. Moreover, both DPA and earth mortar samples (EMS) were analyzed by the means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results obtained show that the mixtures prepared at a dose 6% of DPA were optimum. This addition of DPA led to a reduction of 40% in linear shrinkage, to an increase of 83.4% in elastic modulus and an improvement in physical, mechanical and hygroscopic properties.