Chemical and multi-physical characterization of agro-resources’ by-product as a possible raw building material

•Agro-resources are investigated on chemical and physical point of view.•The chemical composition widely varies from one agro-resource to another.•Thermal conductivity of shiv and straw is low.•Agro-resources show high Moisture Buffer Value.•Hygric and thermal properties do not depend on particle size distribution. The aim of this paper is to find out the best valuation of agro-resources’ by-products as new alternative raw building materials that meet to sustainable development requirement. Five agro-resources are considered: flax, hemp, corn, rape and wheat. In the present work, the chemical characteristics of bio-aggregates are studied by FTIR, Van soest method and Phenol sulfuric method to identify their composition. The investigated physical properties are particle size distribution, density, porosity, water absorption, thermal conductivity and moisture buffer value. The studied materials differ on a chemical and a thermal point of view while they all are excellent hygric regulators. These results suggest that agro-resources can be used as a raw building materials for several types of use: as lightweight aggregates or as binder.