Compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEBs) offer a cheaper and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional building materials for construction. In addition to addressing waste disposal difficulties, the inclusion of waste additives may improve the characteristics of compressed earth blocks (CEBs). This article attempts to outline the findings of researchers who have utilized the various manufacturing processes and investigated the influence of binders and fibers on the properties of CEBs. A systematic search of Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases for works on soil blocks published between 2012 and 2022 yielded 445 articles, while reports, case studies, conference papers, and non-English articles were omitted. Keywords such as “Soil blocks”, “Earth bricks”, and others were used to identify eligible studies. This study has been segmented into five sections, including a descriptive examination of articles and authors who have investigated soil blocks, a comparative analysis based on their manufacturing processes, and physical, mechanical, and durability aspects of the CSEBs, which were analyzed to determine the impact of additives. The PRISMA 2020 standards were followed in the evaluation of each record, which resulted in the identification of 61 articles that were pertinent to the study’s objective. The comparative analysis of the articles reveals that the binders were more significant in improving the compressive strength, cyclic wetting-drying and erosion (durability) aspects of the soil blocks, while fibers were effective in enhancing their flexural and thermal performance. The literature review indicates that if the minimum permissible limits are met, waste materials have the potential to partially replace the soil. In addition, this study suggests establishing standardized manufacturing norms and testing protocols to ascertain the quality and safety of CSEBs used in construction. However, this study is constrained by the limited databases used, governed by keywords, electronic resources and timeframe that could be used as research avenues in the future.

Earthen materials are the world’s oldest and cheapest construction materials. Compacted soil stabilised blocks are unfired admixed soil blocks made up of soil plus stabilisers such as binders, fibres, or a combination of both. The manufacturing and usage of cement and cement blocks raises a number of environmental and economic challenges. As a result, researchers are attempting to develop an alternative to cement blocks, and various tests on unfired admixed soil blocks have been performed. This investigation undertakes use of agricultural waste (i.e., paddy straw fiber and sugarcane bagasse ash) and industrial waste (i.e., marble dust) in manufacturing unfired admixed soil blocks. The applicability of unfired soil blocks admixed with marble dust, paddy straw fiber, and bagasse ash were studied. The marble dust level ranged from 25% to 35%, the bagasse ash content ranged from 7.5% to 12.5%, and the content of paddy straw fibre ranged from 0.8% to 1.2% by soil dry weight. Various tests were conducted on 81 mix designs of the prepared unfired admixed soil blocks to determine the mechanical properties of the blocks, followed by modeling and optimization. The characterization of the materials using XRD and XRF and of the specimens using SEM and EDS were performed for the mineral constituents and microstructural analysis. The findings demonstrate that the suggested method is a superior alternative to burned bricks for improving the mechanical properties of unfired admixed soil blocks.

In order for the foundation of building to be strong, the soil around it plays a critical role. So, researcher or engineer should have thorough knowledge about the factors affecting behaviour of soil which can be altered by the process of soil stabilisation. This study aims to investigate the applicability of SCBA (Sugarcane Bagasse Ash) to stabilize the clayey soil. Sugar factories produce waste after extraction of sugarcane gets brunt and the ash, hence produced is known as bagasse ash. Soil is treated with partial replacement of cement (3%, 6%, 9% and 12%) and with bagasse ash (2%, 4%, 6%and 8%). A total of 45 specimens were prepared in this study. Later those test specimens were evaluated for compaction properties. The results found after thorough study was that there was increase in the compaction properties with percentage increase in Sugarcane Bagasse Ash up to certain limit.

Unfired admixed soil blocks are made up of soil plus stabilizers such as binders, fibers, or a combination of both. Soil is abundant on Earth, and it has been used to provide shelter to millions of people. The manufacturing and usage of cement and cement blocks raise several environmental and economic challenges. Due to disposal issues, agricultural and industrial waste is currently the biggest hazard to the environment and humanity in the world. Consequently, environmental degradation brought on by agricultural waste harms the ecology. As a result, researchers are attempting to develop an alternative to cement blocks, and various tests on unfired admixed soil blocks have been done. This investigation uses agricultural waste (i.e., paddy straw fiber and sugarcane bagasse ash) and industrial waste (i.e., marble dust) in manufacturing unfired admixed soil blocks. Under this investigation, the applicability of unfired soil blocks admixed with marble dust, paddy straw fiber, and bagasse ash was studied. The marble dust level ranged from 25% to 35%, bagasse ash content ranged from 7.5% to 12.5%, and the content of paddy straw fiber ranged from 0.8% to 1.2% by soil dry weight. Various tests were conducted on the 81 mix designs of the prepared unfired admixed soil blocks to find out the physical properties of the block followed by modeling and optimization. The findings demonstrate that the suggested method is a superior alternative to burned bricks for improving the physical properties of admixed soil blocks without firing.