Cow Dung as a Building Material

Cow dung as a building material has been used for a long time, but many people still perceive that it is not a building material or a poor man’s material. In this dissertation, it is shown that in the present and future cow dung is considered a stable material, and various buildings were built from small span to long span (hall and workshops, etc.) and from one floor to another.

The history of using cow dung and in what areas it can be used in the future is described. The main goal of the dissertation report is to expose the material of cow dung as a building material and what can be built from it. What quantity of cow dung can be used in construction and what methods should be used in the construction of buildings is examined.

Tables with cow dung buildings and their comparison with each other, what construction approaches architects often use, and what is important for cow dung as a building material are shown. Expected from cow dung is a great advancement as a building material and assurance of the fact that it is an environmentally friendly material. 

What is Cow Dung?

Cow dung is a waste resource that comes from cows which can be defined as an undigested residue of consumed food that is excreted by cows (K.R Gupta, 2016). It is a useful and biodegradable resource that helps us in a variety of ways. Cow dung contains many rich minerals like magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc. It has been used in India for thousands of years in different fields. Cow dung is used as a rich fertilizer, biogas producer, a useful building material, raw material for making paper and insect repellent, etc.

Uses of Cow dung may be defined as:

• Cow dung is used in agriculture – adding cow dung manure to the soil in the fields helps in the growth of the soil.
• It is used as a fuel – manure from local cows is gathered and dried for fuel.
• Cow dung is used as a building material – cow dung and mud paste are sometimes applied on the floors and walls of rural homes in India which forms a waterproof layer that helps to insulate the house from heat entry.

  Physical properties of cow dung

• a) It is bulky
• b) It has a large ash content
• c) It has low volatile content after burning.
• d) Carbon content is low
• e) Burning ratio is low

What is Building Material?

Building materials is a material used for construction. It is an integral part of the construction. The form and the type of structure are determined by the building material. There are many naturally occurring materials around us such as clay, wood, stone, hemp, bamboo, cow dung, etc. have been used to construct buildings.

Cow Dung as a Building Material?

Cow dung has been used in building construction as a building material from the Vedic period in India. It is also used in some African countries as well. Cow dung has some natural contents like fiber, water, iron, magnesium, etc. A paste of cow dung and mud is sometimes applied on the floors and walls of rural homes in India which forms a waterproof layer that helps to insulate the house from heat entry. Cow dung-made materials are used as:-

• The remaining dust from biogas production is used to make fiberboard. Which is easily used in flooring.
• Cow dung helps in making a breathing structure that can easily survive in hot regions and does not smell unpleasant. 
• There is a new process of making bricks from cow dung mixed with soil and straw dust. These bricks are much more eco-friendly, lighter, and affordable.      

Need of the topic

Cow dung is a freely available resource, which is wasted on daily basis and harms the environment. Which raise a need to use cow dung effectively as a building material. Need is also to provide a shelter to cows living outside on roads so that there dung will be stored make it useful.

Contemporary urbanization has led to an urban influence on the architecture, construction methods, and materials used in the construction. RCC construction has taken over all the traditional techniques as they are cheap and less time taking. But unfortunately, most concrete structures are built without the expertise of architects and structural engineers and possess no such resilience. These structures also releases more amount of CO2 which harms the nature and also this is todays need to look backward to traditional building materials used in construction like cow dung, lime, mud etc. In response to this problem, there is a need to study about this useful building material.

Aim

To study the use of Cow Dung as a building material.

Objectives of the research

• To study the existing examples of cow dung as a building material.
• Understand the manufacturing process of building materials made from cow dung.
• To analyze the efficient use of cow dung as a building material.

The scope and limitations of the research:

The scope of the research is considering the study and importance of cow dung as a building material.

And also, comparatively analyzing the Cow Dung structure with contemporary modifications in materials and techniques.

The published text on libraries is very limited. And there are more than 300 cow dung materials made from cow dung but the research is limited to the use of cow dung as a building material in low-rise buildings as it has less compressive strength.

Research Methodology

The dissertation analysis work is done in various stages to accomplish the detailed work of cow dung as a building material.

Stage 1 gives an overview and a brief introduction, aim, objective, scope, limitation, need, etc. about cow dung as a building material.

The Stage 2 and Stage 3 proceeded with a literature review about cow dung as a building material and case studies which involves primary and secondary studies are done as well.

Stage 4 and Stage 5 involve a data collection process with analysis which leads us to final conclusion

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Purpose and Criteria of selection the Literature Review

The purpose of the Literature review is to study, understand and evaluate the primary data already documented on the Cow Dung as a building material for reference. Books and research papers published by the DAH, and Research institutes are taken as reference as they have conducted research on this topic and documented in detail after  the field survey and the observations.

History

Cow dung is a material used in different activities of daily life from Vedic time. Rigveda describes five types of natural houses which includes cow dung and mud houses. Cow dung is used from 5000 years ago. It is mostly used for the purposes of flooring and plastering in different regions around the world (which mostly covers south Asia, Africa and some part of Europe).

Also cow dung the earliest dating from the late fifth millennium BC and is found in the near east Africa, south Asia, Egypt and Indus valley civilisation, where the ancentors were used for coating natural stones made from minerals such as soapstone and quartz. And the pyramid of Egypt is the oldest example Vedic plaster used for walls. In earliest time people love cow serving in there houses (mostly cow).

And they get PANCHGAVYA from cow i.e. Milk, Butter, Curd, Cow Urine and Cow Dung. All the five were considered as divine in Indian tradition.

Traditional Indian economy has been woven around the cow, carrying on farming and transport with bullocks and obtaining healthy food from cow.

Uses

Cow dung is used for different purposes our ancestors such as:

• Cow dung is mainly used as a fuel in which manure from local cows is gathered and dried for fuel.
• Cow dung is used in agriculture to enhance the growth of soil in the field.
• Cow dung is used a houses for plastering and flooring.

Most of time our ancestors applied cow dung mixed with mud apply on walls and floors to keep home cool in summer and hot in winters. Also in traditional Indian villages cow dung cakes are directly installed on wall and roof to keep protection from heat. Cow dung carries many natural rich minerals which helps it in making bond and with the help of these minerals its protect insects entry in the house.

Application on floors

The plaster of cow dung applied on the floor also helps to active acupressure points that normalize the body temperature. With all these things cow dung paste was also applied on Chulaas and Aharas because these two are used to hot water and milk or to make food buy burning cow dung cakes into it. The mix plastered on Chulaas and Aharas will mantain interior temperature and food cooked into it was healthy.

 According to the report of animal husbandry there was about 60 crore cow’s present in Vedic time.

There was a belief in Indian culture that no bacteria and negative energy stand near where cows live hence it creates a positive environment. And in Hinduism there is a festival Govardhan Pooja that is totally related to cows, during this festival deity of god was made from cow dung and people worship to it with these things first bite of food is given to cow.

                               वशां देवां उपजीवंति वशां मनुष्या उप ।

                          वशेदं सर्वं भवतु यावतु सूर्यो विपश्यति ।।

                  “The Gods and men live on cow products. Till the sun shines, the universe will have cows.

                   The whole universe depends on the support of cow.”

Present Scenario

Cow dung is present in abundance due to the large numbers of cows are locally available around the world. Indian rural life heavily depand upon cow for both happiness and economy. The main components of cow-dung are plant fiber (essentially composed of cellulose and hemicelluloses ) amine organic compounds, and fragments of intestinal tissues. It contains 80 to 90 wt. % of water. Its numerous properties are of interest in several domains.

According to the report of animal husbandry (DAH) there was about 90 crore cows are present in today’s time. And India has 31 crore which is the largest population of cow’s in a country (which covers one third of total population).  In present time cow dung is used for same three purposes which was used in Vedic time used in agriculture, used as a fuel and used as building material. Use of cow dung in India data is recorded as:

• Cow dung is used for more purposes by using different techniques in present time. There are more than 300 materials made from cow dung.
• Cow dung is also used to make different types of building materials like Brick, Vedic Plaster, Mortar Tiles, Slabs, Paint and fibreboard etc.
• Cow dung helps in making a breathing structure that can easily survive in hot regions and does not smell unpleasant.
• According to department of husbandry a healthy cow produce 10 to 13 kg dung in a day. And there is about 30 million cows are in India. Total amount of dung produced in India is about 30 lakhs kg in a single day.  
• There is number of research papers published on cows and cow dung, and the government is also looking to the condition of cows in India.

Government of Chhattisgarh Scheme Report

Few days before government of Chhattisgarh launches a scheme for the better condition of cows and use of cow dung, government said that we can’t waste the useful thing like cow dung and cow urine any how we have to use it in a proper way. The Chhattisgarh government sees the GODHAN NYAY YOJANA, a rural economy development scheme to produce vermicomposting from cattle dung procured from farmers, as a revenue model worth Rs. 2,300 crore.

According to officials, the government will procure cattle dung worth Rs.1,730 crore annually from Gothans, which are protected and fenced space for cattle, once they become operational in around 11,700 gram panchayats of the state over the next few months. The operationalization of the targeted 5,300 Gothans, of which 2,785 have been constructed, will require around Rs.570 crore. These will be established as rural industry centers where apart from cattle dung procurement, various other products will also be manufactured with the help of self-help groups.

Production

The vermicompost produced from the cow dung at these centers will be worth over Rs.2,300 crore. It will be sold to farmers of the state, along with the forest, agriculture and horticulture departments, among others. The scheme will benefit nearly 17 lakh registered farmers in the state, who will be able to buy farm-friendly vermicomposting and maintain the soil health. This apart, about 5 lakh marginal and landless farmers, especially the shepherds, will be able to earn a minimum income of Rs.6,000 per month.

“The government intends to establish such cattle dung based rural industrial centres with the concept of holistic development in the villages which can be later turned into self-sustaining business models,” said Chhattisgarh Panchayat and Rural Development Minister T.S. Singh Deo.

“As part of this scheme, a total of five acres of land has been reserved in every gram panchayat. Out of this, three acres of land are earmarked for Gothans and the remaining 2 acres are for setting up cattle dung-based rural industrial centres,” said Deo.

How the business will work

The government’s revenue model for Godhan Nyay Yojana depends on the 1.2 crore cows and buffaloes in the state. Estimates show these livestock animals produce about 60 million kg dung on a daily basis. Of this, farmers keep around 25-30 per cent for their own use and the same amount is removed as its not fit for vermicomposting production.

The government is looking to procure the remaining 40 per cent, or around 24 million kg, of the total dung at the rate of Rs. 2 per kg, which adds up to Rs. 4.8 crore on a daily basis, or Rs. 1,728 crore per year. This is a far-sighted project to strengthen the rural economy, which can later translate into a solid business model, said Pradeep Sharma, the planning advisor to the Bhupesh Baghel government who holds a prominent role in the implementation of this scheme.

“Initially, the Gothans would require government’s assistance for dung procurement and vermicomposting manufacturing, but once they get well established, these centers will become self-sufficient. In the coming days, it can become a great template for strengthening of the rural economy,” said Sharma, adding that these centers will be constructed in every village.

Benefits of Cow dung in Construction

Cow dung is rich with minerals such as potassium, magnesium and phosphorous, which acts as a good binder. It also improve the texture of soil and help it to maintain moisture. A paste of cow dung and mud is sometimes applied on the floors and walls of rural homes in India which forms a water proof layer that helps to insulate the house from heat entry.

• The fibers present in the dung also help in creating a fine and smooth floor finish, and also prevent cracking in floors and increase insulation properties of plaster.
• Cow dung has anti thermal and anti radioactive properties which creates a barrier for protection from harmful radiations.
• It is also a eco-friendly, health friendly and mosquito repellent.
• According to Barman science the mixture of cow dung, mud, water and air released serotonin named hormone which is also known as a happy hormone and creates positive environment. 

Concept of Breathing Wall

There was a concept of breathing which is popular in today’s time, architects like to use it in buildings to enhance its insulation effect.  As the temperature and global warming is increasing day by day and everyone need a comfortable life. And culture of AC is also increasing day by day which harms nature as well us. But use of traditional materials and cow dung in construction can help us in controlling global warming.

The breathing wall is a secure and weather resistant screen that regulates the amount of heat coming into the house and provides the much-needed feeling of openness.

Basically, it collects the amount of air and water and forms a layer which prevent our building from heat.

The ‘breathing wall’ concept not only refers to the exploitation of natural ventilation for the wellness of its dwellers, but also to the absorption of different energies present in the nature. And it has some voids present in itself which helps wall to store water and air.

Chapter 3: Case Study

Introduction

The following case studies are the examples of Cow dung used in construction as a building material. First case study is of ‘Vedic Bhawan’ Rohtak, is an office of cow dung materials founder Dr. Shivdarshan Malik which is totally made up from cow dung materials. Second case study selected is ‘VPGRI’ Bikaner, as it is the only research institute in India that provides a course how to make building with cow dung made materials. 

1. Vedic Bhawan, Rohtak

Introduction

Vedic Bhawan is the first office in India which is totally built with cow dung building materials. Dr. Shivdarshan Malik is the founder of the office. This office was built in 2018. Vedic Bhawan is a official branch of Vedic Plaster and Gaucrete Research Institute, Shobhasar, Bikaner. Where they help people those who seek to know about cow dung benefits in construction. And also deal with the products they offer. It is located in Bharat Colony, Rohtak, Haryana.

About the Project

• Location – Near Sheela Bye Pass, Rohtak, Haryana
• Built by – Dr. Shiv Darshan Malik
• Built Year – 2018
• Total area – 700 sqm. (0.167 acre)
• Built up area – 400 sqm. (0.1 acre)
• Typology -Commercial

Location

Located in Rohtak a district of Haryana, India.

Approach

Accessible by road from Rohtak bus stand is 1.2 km. The nearest railway station is Rohtak junction which is 5.5 km away and Vedic Bhawan is 1.8 km from PLCSUPVA

Climate

1. The region experiences a cool During January, the mean daily minimum temperature sometimes reaches 3 to 4℃ and During the summer in May and June, maximum temperature reaches 50℃.
2. Min. relative humidity (less than 50%) is between April & May, maximum relative humidity is in the month of August that the district experiences high humidity only during the monsoon period.
3. Different types of sky conditions are observed like heavily overcast in monsoon season, clear blue in dry season and very bright and sunny in the hot dry season.
4. Hot and dusty winds are flow during the dry period.  Monsoon winds are fairly strong and steady.
5. Summers: SW to NW. and Winters: NW to SE

Site surroundings

Vedic Bhawan is surrounded by Sir Chotu Ram Stadium, Vikalp Public School, Huda City Park  and Bus Stand Rohtak.

Architectural Style and Material Used

This commercial building is built in the traditional and modern style. Dr. Shivdarshan Malik have put all his skills and construction knowledge by observing other materials. Climate plays an important role. To maintain the thermal comfort for the occupant in summers as well as winters, cow dung bricks and Vedic plaster used. And now walls are covered with Vedic paint which is also made from cow dung. Some of the important point must know about Vedic Bhawan are:

• Vedic Bhawan is a official branch office of VPGRI in Rohtak, which is totally made up of cow dung materials.
• In Vedic Bhawan mortar is used, which is made with a mixture of cow dung, mud and lime with cow urine.
• Bricks used in Vedic Bhawan are also made up of cow dung which is made by a mixture of lime, cow dung, mud and cow urine.
• Vedic Bhawan walls are plastered by Vedic plaster which power product like cement having 60-70 % gypsum, 20-30% cow dung and 8-9% mud and 1% of citric acid.
• Vedic Bhawan walls are painted by Vedic Paint which is also made cow dung and cow urine.
• Due to uses of cow dung materials Vedic Bhawan is totally filled by fresh air. Where the neighbour buildings made up of rcc having polluted air content in rich amount.

Zoning

Zoning of Vedic Bhawan define the location of the spaces in the plan

Floor plan

The Vedic Bhawan floor plan consists of a office, a living room, a toilet, a Gaucrete room, a store room, three small workshops and courtyard for making bricks and mortar. Office is totally made from cow dung made materials like bricks, mortar, vedic plaster and vedic paint etc. and vedic bhawan is also a centre where the team of VPGRI do experiment in vedic bhawan.

It has a Gaucrete room which is also made by cow dung made materials and it made by different size of bricks 300x150x100 mm.

Benefits of Cow Dung used in Vedic Bhawan

While surveying and studying about the cow dung as a building material used in construction for different  purposes like plastering, flooring etc.

1. Cow dung directly down the temperature upto 10 degree as comparison to rcc structures.
2. It also has fresh air quality with in the building as comparison to rcc structure.
3. Cow dung also control the entry of harmful radition from tower and electric gadgets.

Inferences

All the materials used in Vedic bhawan are totally made from cow dung designed Dr. Shivdarshan Malik, according to needs, and thermal comfort. The techniques and materials used in vedic bhawan are totally cheaper and eco-friendly.

• Proper maintenance and use of cow dung and cow dung building materials.
•  Proper manufacturing techniques of cow dung building materials.
•  All the cow dung materials made houses or buildings have courtyards which helps in thermal insulation.
•  All the houses or buildings are rich in oxygen content and fresh air in comparison to native rcc structures or buildings.
•  Gaucrete room is also made up of cow dung but bricks in the construction of room are used of 300x150x100 mm. which is not similar to normal bricks.

Vedic Plaster and Gaucrete Research Institute, Bikaner

Introduction

Vedic Plaster and Gaucrete Research Institute (VPGRI) is a research institute of vedic plaster and gaucrete which is located in Shobhasar is a village in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

Where the founder of  VPGRI Dr. Shiv Darshan Malik teaches his techniques of constructing houses with cow dung and manufacturing of cow materials to be used in construction like brick, mortar, tiles etc. through workshops.

About the Project

• Location – Village Shobhasar, Bikaner, Rajasthan
• Built by – Dr. Shiv Darshan Malik
• Built Year – 2017
• Total area – 4046 sqm. (1 acre)
• Built up area – 2000 sqm. (0.5 acre)
• Typology – Industrial

Location

Vedic Plaster and Gaucrete Research Institute (VPGRI) is located in shobhasar village of Bikaner district of Rajasthan.

Approach

Accessible by road about 5 km from Shobhasar village bus stand and 49 km from Bikaner district bus stand, nearest railway junction is about 17 km and civil airport is about 18 km.

Climate

1. The temperatures are highest on average in June, at around 50°C AND January is the coldest month, with temperatures averaging 4 °C.
2. The month with the highest relative humidity is August (48%). The month with the lowest relative humidity is April (18%).
3. The least amount of rainfall occurs in November. The average in this month is 2 mm | 0.1 inch. Most of the precipitation here falls in July, averaging 65 mm. 
4. Hot and dusty winds are flow during the dry period.  Monsoon winds are fairly strong and steady.
5. The prevailing wind flow in Summers : SW to NW and in Winters NE to SW.

Site Surroundings

Vedic Plaster and Gaucrete Research Institute is surrounded by Tannot Mata Temple, Axis Bank, Maa Karni B.ed College and Big B House.

As this is desert area where there are very less native bodies present or structured. And the main and important nodes like bus stand, railway station are present at very long distance from Institute.

Architectural Style and Material Used

This industrial building is built in the traditional and modern style. Dr. Shivdarshan Malik have put all his skills and construction knowledge by observing other materials. Climate plays an important role. To maintain the thermal comfort for the occupant in summers as well as winters, cow dung bricks and Vedic plaster used. And now walls are covered with Vedic paint which is also made from cow dung. Some of the important point must know about VPGRI are :

• VPGRI is a research institute of cow dung in Bikaner, which is totally made up of cow dung materials.
• In VPGRI mortar is used, which is made with a mixture of cow dung, mud and lime with cow urine.
• Bricks used in VPGRI are also made up of cow dung which is made by a mixture of lime, cow dung, mud and cow urine.
• VPGRI walls are plastered by Vedic plaster which power product like cement having 60-70 % gypsum, 20-30% cow dung and 8-9% mud and 1% of citric acid.
• Due to uses of cow dung materials Vedic Bhawan is totally filled by fresh air.

Zoning

Site plan

The VPGRI floor plan consists of a office, a gaushala, rest room, living room and workshops made from cow dung materials.

Office is totally made from cow dung made materials like bricks, mortar, vedic plaster and vedic paint etc. and VPGRI is only a centre where the team of VPGRI do experiment on cow dung.

It has a rest room which is also made by cow dung made materials and it made by different size of bricks 300x150x100 mm.

And other rooms and workshops office place are made up of normal size brick 230x115x75mm.

Gaushala in VPGRI is also made from cow dung bricks and Vedic plaster which maintain the interior temperature in the climate of Rajasthan easily.

VPGRI is also working on roofing in which roof of the house is also covered with cow dung.

Material Manufacturing in VPGRI

Vedic Plaster and Gaucrete Research Institute is a research institute where the team of VPGRI is also

    Manufacturing many materials like :

1. Vedic Plaster
2. Mortar (made from cow dung)
3. Cow Dung Brick
   1. Normal size bricks 230x115x75 mm
   1. Large size bricks 300x150x100 mm
4. Cow Dung Tiles
5. Vedic Paint (made from cow dung)

Rest Room at VPGRI

Rest room built at VPGRI is a two rooms and one Bhunga set. It is a small cow dung made building followed by traditional architecture. 

Interior Views

Inferences

• Proper maintenance and use of cow dung and cow dung building materials.
•  Proper manufacturing techniques of cow dung building materials.
•  All the cow dung materials made houses or buildings have courtyards which helps in thermal insulation.
•  All the houses or buildings are rich in oxygen content and fresh air in comparison to native rcc structures or building.  

Chapter 4: Building Materials Made of Cow Dung

Introduction

There are many alternative traditional materials that can be used in place of modern materials, cow dung is one out of them. A number of binders used to stabilise earth for construction. Cow dung is one out of them. Such binders are aimed to improving water, fire resistance.

A paste of cow dung and mud is sometimes applied on the floors and walls of rural homes in India which forms a water proof layer that helps to insulate the house from heat entry.

There are many some materials which are used in building construction are:

• Cow dung brick
• Vedic plaster
• Mortar
• Tiles
• Slabs
• Fiberboard

These are the materials made from cow dung used in construction. Out of which brick and plaster are commonly used and fully authorized.

Cow Dung Brick

Brick may be defined as a building material used in construction, these cow dung bricks are same as normal bricks excepting material used in brick formation. Points must be considered while making cow dung bricks.

• Cow dung can be used to manufacture bricks which are eco-friendly and much cheaper. 
• Cow dung bricks are made similar to normal bricks.
• These bricks are made from a mixture Cow dung, lime and cow urine.
• The amount of one fourth lime is mixed with third fourth amount of cow dung.
• The mixture should be thoroughly mixed.
• The colour of dung must change after mixing of lime.
• Mixture should covered for one day for better strength.

Mix for brick manufacturing-

                           MIX = Cow Dung (78% -80%) + Lime 20% + Cow Urine (1-2 %)

A brick made from cow dung is totally stabilised and some amount of lime is added into it and little amount of cow urine is added if required.

• Bricks are fully sun dried.
• Two sizes bricks were made one is same as normal size and other is 2.5 times than normal bricks.
• Strength of cow dung bricks is between 2.5 to 11 mpa which is better than normal mud bricks and AAC blocks.
• No heat transfer from one side to another side of brick.
• Minimum 2.5 kg dung is required for one brick.

Vedic Plaster

 Plaster is a outer layer of material on walls inside and outside of buildings as well as House’s. That’s why this directly affect on heat transmission in building from the walls of building. In ancient era, the structures must be in the construction of pyramid Gypsum plaster was used having life if almost 1000 years, In ancient construction era insulation of structure was must to decrease energy consumption of House’s and structures Due to the thermal comfort cow dung was plaster was used for houses in the ruler part of India.

Vedic plaster is a eco-friendly gypsum and cow dung based plaster with some other natural additives and characterized by low density, high thermal insulation and sound absorption properties.

It is basically a mixture of cow dung, gypsum, citric acid and gawargum.

                                   Plaster mix = Cow Dung 30% +Gypsum 60 %+Gawargum (5%)

                                                         +Mud (3%)+Water (2%) +Citric acid (1%)

Here in the mixture of Vedic plaster, Citric acid and Gypsum is used to give strength. And Gawargum is    mixed to provide smoothness. Gypsum also protect walls from dampness.     

Price of one bag of Vedic plaster is 300 Rs. And one bag covers an area of 20 sq. feet.

Advantages of Vedic Plaster Over Conventional Plaster

• Vedic Plaster is eco-friendly product and easily available.
• It is simply to apply on the surface.
• The plaster saves water because no curing to be required.
• It have better thermal insulating property.
• It is fire resistant, sound resistant and radiation resistant.
• Vedic Plaster confess cool temperature in summer and hot in the winter.
• It can be used for ceiling design gives attractive and smooth finish.
• Vedic Plaster can be used by adding shell powder within it.  
• Permanent solution of salts or dampness on walls Vedic plaster make it more stronger.

Chapter 5: Analysis

Data analysis

Gobarithum

Gobarithum is a term which defines the data of cow dung production and manufacturing of building materials from cow dung. Data of cow dung in India is follows as :

• Total no. of Cows in world ~ 92 crore
• Total no. of Cows in India ~ 31.5 crore (about 33% of world cows population)
• Total no. of Cows in Indian Gaushalas ~ 19.4 crore (about 60%)
• A healthy cow produce dung in a single day ~ 10-14 kg
• Total cow dung produced in India in a single day ~ 250 crore kg
• One cow dung brick need ~ 2.5 kg
• No. of bricks made from 250 Cr. kg cow dung ~ 100 crore bricks.
• Area covered by one brick (230x115x75mm) ~ 0.230 sq.ft
• Area covered by 100 crore bricks ~ 23 crore sq.ft
• Area required for one 2BHK house ~ 1000 sq.ft
• 23 crore sq.ft made (100 Cr. bricks) ~ 23 lakh 2BHK houses

Which means we can construct/build 23 lakh 2BHK households for 23 lakh families from cow dung produced in a single day in India.

Cow Dung production v/s Cement production:

Cow Dung Production	Cement Production
1. 32.8 Million ton in a day	1. 0.82 Million ton in a day
2. 1217 Million ton per annum	2. 298 Million ton per annum

Cow dung production is almost 4 times than Cement production per annum. And also the process production of cow dung is totally natural and ecofriendly.

Physical Properties

Analysis of physical properties of cow dung brick with clay bricks, fly ash bricks and concrete bricks. Cow      dung bricks are better in each condition and term then other bricks.

Mechanical Properties

Analysis of mechanical properties of cow dung brick with clay bricks, fly ash bricks and concrete bricks. Cow dung bricks are better in each condition and term then other bricks.

Cow dung : An Earthquake-Resilient Material

The Cow dung materials are considered as earthquake resilient materials because of the following characteristics:

• Cow dung structures have simple, symmetrical plans and elevations due to which it produces less magnitude of twist during any seismic activity, and is considered highly stable.
• The bricks of cow dung are lighter in weight which minimizes the overturning effect in the structures during seismic activity.
• Large projections undergo high deflections in earthquake, there roofs of cow dung structures are used made up of wood which is light weight, strong and flexible material.
• The flooring used in all the floors is also of Vedic plaster, has good capacity to absorb vibrations.

Cow Dung: A Sustainable Building Material

Cow dung is an eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and zero waste building material, which means there is no wastage of material during construction. The primary materials used in manufacturing building material is cow dung where lime, mud and gypsum are secondary materials for manufacturing other materials. Cow dung is  locally available, environment-friendly and highly durable which results in no transportation emissions. Mortar of cow dung and mud used in construction makes it reusable and bio-degradable.

The structure made from cow dung building material provides good thermal comfort thus CO2 emission is low or negligible. The wood used in roof act as an insulating  blanket during heavy rainfall and snow in winters. The “Gaucrete Walls” made up of cow dung maintain the temperature inside the structure and downs the temperature around 10 degrees than other construction materials. Vedic Plaster applied on the walls acts as carbon trap, which dead all the harmful carbon contents.

Chapter 6: Conclusion

After a long study of environmental materials and looking for answers to the question “What materials can be used without harming the environment?

People can understand that mass use of cement and modern materials will not lead the future of construction to good ecology. But after a thorough study of Cow dung as a building material, one can come to the conclusion that this is exactly one of the most worthy materials that does not harm the environment. It is available to us on daily basis and can be used as a material for construction. People have used cow dung for centuries in their lives. Cow dung is used in many areas of activity, from fuel making to agriculture, from building material to medical sciences and now a days it is also used for aesthetics.

Breathing Nature

Cow dung, despite its light weight, is very flexible and hardy. With the right approach and processing of this material, you can build a house from the foundation to the roof. One of the most important property of cow dung structure is its breathing nature. Do not forget that it is durable, now scientists have studied cow dung and the mix of lime with it gives a double strength, so the benefit of cow dung in subsequent years is that it can replace RCC and fly ash bricks etc. in the construction of buildings.

Having considered cow dung, it seems that this is an ecological product that people still do not know how to use. For example, VPGRI, Bikaner is a research institute doing research on cow dung and Vedic Bhawan situated in Rohtak is built up of 100% cow dung. In the architecture of the 21st century there are already buildings that consist of 100% of cow dung, why not go further and not think about an ecological multifunctional building that is without harm to the environment.

Cow dung, a unique material from which you can build houses, schools, restaurants, gurukuls and a list on this just begins. Properties of cow dung can be both a finishing material and the basis of a building’s construction.

In the future, cow dung sector should be brought to the forefront as a sustainable material; cow dung is not well represented to the public, as it has just begun to gain the attention of architects and investors. Cow dung can play an important role in the future of individuals, the human need for cement or RCC can be replaced with cow dung.

                                         लक्ष्मीश्च् गोमये नित्यम् पवित्रता सर्वमंगला ।  

                     गोमयलेपनम तस्मात् कर्तव्यम् पांङुनंन्दन ।।          

                                                                                                                       (source: स्कन्द पुराण)         

      “Means the most sacred best for Luxmi always lives in cow dung, so we should plaster cow dung.”

References

1. Sahadeva Dasa (2014) : Cow Dung – A down to earth solution, Department of environmental studies Delhi, India.  https://www.amazon.in/Cow-Dung-Down-Earth-Solution-ebook/dp/B00ZXMNODU
2. Bharat Zoe Zi (2020) Cow Dung Theory of Leadership. United Kingdom https://www.waterstones.com/book/cow-dung-theory-of-leadership/zoe-zi/venessa- lee/9781734820003
3. V.S.R. Pavan Kumar.Rayaprolu, P. Polu Raju (2018), IJOSER, Coimbotar https://www.kluniversity.in/ce/rsh_pubs.aspx?typ4=CE&typ=1&typ1=FACLTY&typ2=JUR&TYP3=2012
4. Bharat Dav Peter Paa-Kofi Yalley (2018),  IJOSER, Coimbotare https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALiCzsbzitrIudQKf9SXu-U5LZ_8NfGGhg:1652894803517
5. Vedic plaster and gaucrete research institute, Bikaner, rajasthan www.vedicplaster.com
6. https://www.science.org/content/article/indian-scientists-decry-infuriating-scheme-study-benefits-cow-dung-urine-and-milk
7. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/nitin-gadkari-launches-india-first-eco-friently-cow-dung
8. www.ifstu.co
9. https://theprint.in/india/cattle-dung-scheme-a-rs-2300-cr-revenue-model-will-help-5-lakh-farmers-baghel-govt-claims/466565/
10. https://www.ijert.org/use-of-cow-dung-ash-as-a-partial-replacement-for-cement-in-mortar
11. godhannyay.cgstate.gov.in

Also Read;

Building An Eco-Friendly Home (thearchspace.com)

Recycled Building Materials For A Sustainable Living (thearchspace.com)

By Monu Dalal

Monu Dalal is a final year architecture student at PLC. State University of Performing and Visual Arts, Rohtak, and founder architect at GuaAark a architecture and interior design firm based in Hisar. He received a certificate and excellence in Cow Dung based building materials and he love to promote cow dung-based architecture. His current field is fully involved in research work on cow dung which is the future building material with high demand. He is interested in building materials, sustainable architecture, and breathing walls in design.