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Sustainable construction has become a real issue in Algeria and in the whole world. The compressed and cement stabilized earth blocks remain among the materials that contribute to a healthy, ecological and sustainable environment, as well as a source of interior comfort. In this work, an experimental investigation is performed on hygrothermal characterization of Compressed and cement Stabilized Earth Blocks with a moderate portion of 6%. The characterization of sorption isotherms was performed according to the "gravimetric" method in a temperature of 23 °C and relative humidity ranging from 9% to 99%.Twelve models were used to adjust the sorption isotherms of cement stabilized earth blocks. Therefore, only OSWIN model yielded a good result with a relative error experimented with a mean relative error less than 10%. In this work, the thermo-hydric characterization includes thermal conductivity, specific heat, and water vapor permeability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The moisture contents of balance of desorption and adsorption of Kabar Sid El Cheikh leaves (Capparis spinosa .L) were determined at 30, 40, and 50°C using the static gravimetric method. The balance was obtained after 12 days of desorption and 8 days of adsorption. The effect of thermal hysteresis is observed in the range of the tested temperatures. In one hand, for the modeling of sorption isotherms, on the other hand, for the prediction of the hygroscopic behavior, during storage or drying; two mathematical models were tested. The GAB model with three parameters has given best results according to the experimental points in a rather important domain of the activities of the water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]