Impact of considering virgin cork absorption on hydric properties of biobased concrete

Thanks to their excellent transfer properties, the use of cork aggregates in designing of biobased concretes constitutes nowadays one of the most promising solution to reduce the building environmental impact. However, their elevated water absorption capacity provokes numerous problems during preparation of concretes, affecting thus the concrete performances. This study aims to explore the impact of considering cork absorption on the hydric transfer properties of cork concrete. Experiments were carried out on cork concretes considering three different levels of cork absorption, namely: (i) no water, (ii) water corresponding to 2 h of cork absorption and (iii) cork saturation water. For each level of absorption, two cork percentages (25, and 50%) were studied. Concretes were tested in terms of capillary absorption, and immersion absorption. The liquid transport coefficient was also determined. Results showed that increasing the amount of considered water absorption increased both immersion and capillary water absorption of cork concrete, whatever the cork percentage. This engendered a decrease of its resistance to water penetration.