Sustainable Building Solutions: Testing Fiber-Stabilized Adobe Blocks as Wall Materials in Assosa, Ethiopia

In developing nations like Ethiopia, earth block construction is the most effective and sustainable solution to the housing shortage, particularly for low-cost dwellings, due to its minimum resource requirements. The research examines the fundamental engineering attributes of local soil material and fiber-reinforced adobe blocks as materials for wall construction. The widespread application of adobe blocks is supported by convenient accessibility to local soil, minimal energy requirements, and simplicity in production. The experiment entails adobe blocks of jute fiber-reinforced clay soil. The soil samples were collected from four locations in the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State (Assosa Zone): Abrhamo, Assosa, Bambasi, and Homosha. Jute fiber was mixed in various percentages (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% by weight of soil) and lengths (30 cm, 20 cm, and 10 cm). A set of experiments was conducted in an effort to examine the mechanical and physical behavior of unreinforced and fiber-reinforced adobe blocks. The results were found to possess a higher compressive strength with the addition of jute fiber. The highest compressive strength (5.98 MPa) was observed with 30 cm fiber length and 1.5% jute fiber addition in Assosa samples. These results demonstrate the potential of fiber-reinforced adobe blocks as a cost-efficient and durable building material for low-cost housing in Assosa.