The results that go beyond the state of the art are mostly on the selection of those bio-based materials that are suitable to be used in construction mateirals and potential applications. Among these the following four families of natural materials have been identified:
• Vegetal fibers and fabrics (e.g. flax, jute, abaca, coconut, sisal),
• Bio-aggregates from agricultural waste (e.g. rice husk, hemp shives, bamboo),
• Self-healing agents (mainly bacterial-based systems for cementitious applications),
• Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as rice husk ash and biomass ash.
Each material group was assessed based on its availability, origin, mechanical and thermal potential, compatibility with cementitious systems, and sustainability profile. Treatments commonly applied to improve performance—such as alkali pre-treatment or thermal activation show so far great performance and will be further analysed in the second review period. Demonstrations, commercialization and potential IPR will be considered in the second review period.