Hygrothermal characterization of a new bio-based construction material: Concrete reinforced with date palm fibers

•Hygrothermal characterization of Date Palm Cement composites.•Adsorption-desorption curves, moisture buffer value, fictitious and dry water vapor permeability are measured.•Effect of temperature on moisture buffer value and on the penetration depth is investigated.•Hysteresis is calculated from the Adsorption-desorption curves.•Date palm cement composites exhibit an interesting hygric performances. Hygrothermal behavior of a new building material, composed of cement, sand and date palm fibers was investigated in the present work. In a first part, the sorption-desorption isotherms and the hysteresis effect were characterized under static conditions, and collected results revealed a high hydric capacity of this Date Palm Cement (DPC) mortar. In addition, the GAB model (Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer) was successfully applied to describe the experimental sorption isotherm curve. In a second step, the moisture buffer value and the effect of temperature on successive adsorption/desorption cycles were assessed under dynamical conditions. It was found that the sorption process is highly affected by temperature. Finally, this bio-based mortar was classified as hygroscopic and breathable material with excellent moisture buffering capacity.