By enhancing the thermal properties of cement-based building materials, energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions related to space conditioning in buildings can be alleviated. This study aims to present cement-based composites reinforced by textile fibers for application in building and construction. Several lightweight coating mortars were produced by partially replacing the sand in the mix with different percentages of textile waste. Mechanical and thermal characterizations of the reinforced cementitious composites were performed. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of cementitious compounds decreased as the proportion of reinforcing material in the mixture increased. In terms of mechanical properties, the textile slightly reduced the compressive strength of cementitious mortar, while it improved the flexural strength. A numerical study was then performed to derive the actual impact of these reinforced materials on the thermal behavior of a building element using COMSOL Multiphysics. Numerous configurations of walls coated with different mortar mixtures were studied. The results showed that coating both sides of a building wall with 20 mm of textile-reinforced mortar reduced the internal temperature by 1.5 °C. Thus, the application of these thermally improved mortars as coating mortars appears to be a relevant solution to enhance the thermal performance of buildings.

Improving the thermal properties of materials used in buildings is crucial to reducing energy demand and consumption. This study investigated the use of textile fiber waste in cement-based composites for construction applications. Mechanical and thermal characterizations were carried out to assess the behavior of cement mortars with different percentages of two types of textile fibers after 7 and 28 days of water hardening. The results show that the incorporation of fibers can significantly improve the thermal insulation capacity of buildings by reducing the thermal conductivity of cement mortar by up to 52%. In addition, the use of textile fibers can improve the mechanical strength of the cement mortar, especially with a high fiber content and a longer curing time.