Effect of Cow Dung Additions on Tropical and Mediterranean Earth Mortars-Mechanical Performance and Water Resistance.

Cow dung (CD) is a material that has been used for millennia by humanity as a stabilizer in earth building techniques in vernacular architecture. However, this stabilization has been little addressed scientifically. In this study, the effect of CD additions was assessed on earth mortars produced with one type of earth from Brazil and two other types from Portugal (from Monsaraz and Caparica).