Evaluating the fire behaviour of cement-based lightweight materials with textile waste incorporation using a cone calorimeter

The conscientious utilization of natural resources and the efficient waste management have become a matter of great concern in recent years due to the harmful impacts on the environment. The construction sector presents itself as one of the sectors that most contributes to raw materials consumption and waste generation, demanding the investigation of more sustainable and eco-friendly building materials, where the valorisation of wastes originated from other industries can be promising. Following the sustainability concept in construction materials, this work investigates the potential use of textile waste in cement-based lightweight construction material, evaluating the fire reaction of the material using the cone calorimeter equipment. The samples were tested at three different radiant heat fluxes (35 kW/m², 50 kW/m², 75 kW/m²) to simulate different fire situations. For the highest heat flux, the lightweight construction element with textile waste incorporation showed a Heat Release Rate Average ≤ 18 kW/m², a peak Heat Release Rate Average ≤ 60 kW/m², and a Total Heat Release Average ≤ 33 MJ/m². These results reveal a very satisfactory fire behaviour compared to other materials and show the suitability of using textile waste as lightweight cement-based materials. • Fire behaviour of a textile waste (70 % wool, 25 % viscose; 5 % elastane) cement-based material was analysed. • A cone calorimeter was used for three radiant heat fluxes, simulating different fire situations. • The ignition of the material only occurred for heat fluxes of 50 kW/m² and 75 kW/m². • The obtained results revealed a quite satisfactory behaviour of the material to fire. • The peak heat release rate values are lower compared to other materials.