A New Experimental Setup to Characterize Binder–Vegetal Particle Compatibility in Plant-Based Concrete

The good insulation properties and the low carbon footprint of vegetal concretes make them promising materials whose use tends to grow continuously. To produce optimized building materials, a better understanding of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between vegetal particles and cement paste in terms of the reactions involved and the size of the impacted surface was investigated. This research led to the setting of a reliable visual test to observe ITZ, which enables the monitoring of its appearance and development. Different combinations of vegetal particles and cement pastes were tested to compare the formed ITZ: hemp, rapeseed, and bamboo into Portland and Prompt cement. Finally, a clear link was drawn between the sugar concentration and the size of ITZ. Thanks to image analysis, it was shown that ITZ is due to physico-chemical reactions, with the extraction of free saccharide molecules from the vegetal and water suction followed by their release into the cement paste.