Sustainable Reuse of Inorganic Materials in Eco-Friendly Clay Bricks: Special Focus on Mechanical and Durability Assessment
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 6
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of wastes, namely plastic wastes, iron wire, and cast-iron powder, as a potential substitute material on the behavior of environmental-friendly sintered clay bricks to reduce environmental pollution and production cost. Twenty groups of mixtures were tested to obtain precise results for the compressive strength, flexural strength, weight per unit area, apparent porosity, freeze-thaw resistance, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), water absorption, and initial rate of absorption tests. The results indicated that no single trend could be identified to measure the effect of additional materials on the improvement or deterioration of mechanical and durability properties. The results revealed that an increment in the content of plastic particles up to 4% by weight resulted in a decline in water absorption, whereas an increase in the content of coarse plastic particles raised water absorption. It was found that specimens including regular iron wire and cast-iron powder demonstrated higher compressive strength rather than the specimens with plastic and irregular. The results of the freeze-thaw test revealed that most of the specimens satisfied the requirement of ASTM, and those incorporating cast-iron powder had the best results. Due to the low specific gravity of plastic wastes, the weight per unit area of specimens mixed with them was lower than that of specimens with iron wire and cast-iron powder, leading toward a reduction in the seismic weight of buildings. It concludes that the best improvement in the flexural strength of bricks was achieved by a 40% replacement of cast-iron powder, compared with the reference specimen.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
References
Abdrakhimov, V. Z., and E. S. Abdrakhimova. 2017. “Promising use of waste coal in the production of insulating material without the use of traditional natural materials.” Inorg. Mater. Appl. Res. 8 (5): 788–794. https://doi.org/10.1134/S2075113317050021.
Abi, C. B. E. 2014. “Effect of borogypsum on brick properties.” Constr. Build. Mater. 59 (May): 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.02.012.
Adazabra, A. N., G. Viruthagiri, and P. Kannan. 2017. “Influence of spent shea waste addition on the technological properties of fired clay bricks.” J. Build. Eng. 11 (May): 166–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2017.04.006.
Ahmari, S., and L. Zhang. 2012. “Production of eco-friendly bricks from copper mine tailings through geopolymerization.” Constr. Build. Mater. 29 (Apr): 323–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.10.048.
ASTM. 1995. Standard practice for measuring ultrasonic velocity in materials. ASTM E494. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 1997. Standard test methods for tensile properties of thin plastic sheeting. ASTM D882. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2003. Standard test method for density of plastics by the density-gradient technique. ASTM D1505. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2007a. Standard test method for particle-size analysis of soils. ASTM D422-63(2007)e2. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2007b. Standard test methods for sampling and testing brick and structural clay tile. ASTM C67. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2009. Standard test method for pulse velocity through concrete. ASTM C597. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2010. Standard test methods for liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index of soils. ASTM Committee D-18. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2015. Standard test methods for apparent porosity, water absorption, apparent specific gravity, and bulk density of burned refractory brick and shapes by boiling water. ASTM C20. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2017. Standard specification for building brick (solid masonry units made from clay or shale). ASTM C62-17. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Aubert, J.-E., A. Fabbri, J. C. Morel, and P. Maillard. 2013. “An earth block with a compressive strength higher than 45 MPa!” Constr. Build. Mater. 47 (Oct): 366–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.05.068.
BCP-SP (Building Code of Pakistan). 2007. Building code of Pakistan (seismic provisions 2007). Islamabad, Pakistan: Ministry of Housing and Works, Government of Pakistan Islamabad.
Bilgin, N., H. A. Yeprem, S. Arslan, A. Bilgin, E. Günay, and M. Marşoglu. 2012. “Use of waste marble powder in brick industry.” Constr. Build. Mater. 29 (Apr): 449–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.10.011.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 1992. Specifications for common burnt clay building bricks. New Delhi, India: BIS.
Chidiac, S. E., and L. M. Federico. 2007. “Effects of waste glass additions on the properties and durability of fired clay brick.” Can. J. Civ. Eng. 34 (11): 1458–1466. https://doi.org/10.1139/L07-120.
Christy, C. F., and D. Tensing. 2011. “Greener building material with fly ash.” Asian J. Civ. Eng. 12 (1): 87–105.
Dabaieh, M., J. Heinonen, D. El-Mahdy, and D. M. Hassan. 2020. “A comparative study of life cycle carbon emissions and embodied energy between sun-dried bricks and fired clay bricks.” J. Cleaner Prod. 275 (Dec): 122998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122998.
del Coz Díaz, J. J., P. J. G. Nieto, J. D. Hernández, and A. S. Sánchez. 2009. “Thermal design optimization of lightweight concrete blocks for internal one-way spanning slabs floors by FEM.” Energy Build. 41 (12): 1276–1287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.08.005.
Elert, K., G. Cultrone, C. R. Navarro, and E. S. Pardo. 2003. “Durability of bricks used in the conservation of historic buildings—Influence of composition and microstructure.” J. Cult. Heritage 4 (2): 91–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1296-2074(03)00020-7.
Eliche-Quesada, D., and J. Leite-Costa. 2016. “Use of bottom ash from olive pomace combustion in the production of eco-friendly fired clay bricks.” Waste Manage. 48 (Feb): 323–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.11.042.
French Standard. 1993. Investigation and testing–determination of Atterberg’s limits–liquid limit test using casagrande apparatus-plastic limit test on rolled thread. NF P94-051. Paris: Association Française de Normalisation.
Galán-Arboledas, R. J., M. T. Cotes-Palomino, S. Bueno, and C. Martínez-García. 2017. “Evaluation of spent diatomite incorporation in clay based materials for lightweight bricks processing.” Constr. Build. Mater. 144 (Jul): 327–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.03.202.
Goel, G., and A. S. Kalamdhad. 2017. “Degraded municipal solid waste as partial substitute for manufacturing fired bricks.” Constr. Build. Mater. 155 (Nov): 259–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.08.067.
Görhan, G., and O. Şimşek. 2013. “Porous clay bricks manufactured with rice husks.” Constr. Build. Mater. 40 (Mar): 390–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.09.110.
Hassan, K. M., K. Fukushi, K. Turikuzzaman, and S. M. Moniruzzaman. 2014. “Effects of using arsenic–iron sludge wastes in brick making.” Waste Manage. 34 (6): 1072–1078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.09.022.
Iftikhar, S., K. Rashid, E. U. Haq, I. Zafar, F. K. Alqahtani, and M. I. Khan. 2020. “Synthesis and characterization of sustainable geopolymer green clay bricks: An alternative to burnt clay brick.” Constr. Build. Mater. 259 (Oct): 119659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119659.
Kadir, A. A., and A. Mohajerani. 2015. “Effect of heating rate on gas emissions and properties of fired clay bricks and fired clay bricks incorporated with cigarette butts.” Appl. Clay Sci. 104 (Feb): 269–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2014.12.005.
Karaman, S., H. Gunal, and S. Ersahin. 2008. “Quantitative analysis of pumice effect on some physical and mechanical properties of clay bricks.” J. Appl. Sci. 8 (7): 1340–1345. https://doi.org/10.3923/jas.2008.1340.1345.
Kazmi, S. M. S., S. Abbas, M. A. Saleem, M. J. Munir, and A. Khitab. 2016. “Manufacturing of sustainable clay bricks: Utilization of waste sugarcane bagasse and rice husk ashes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 120 (Sep): 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.05.084.
Kazmi, S. M. S., M. J. Munir, I. Patnaikuni, Y.-F. Wu, and U. Fawad. 2018a. “Thermal performance enhancement of eco-friendly bricks incorporating agro-wastes.” Energy Build. 158 (Jan): 1117–1129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.10.056.
Kazmi, S. M. S., M. J. Munir, Y.-F. Wu, A. Hanif, and I. Patnaikuni. 2018b. “Thermal performance evaluation of eco-friendly bricks incorporating waste glass sludge.” J. Cleaner Prod. 172 (Jan): 1867–1880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.255.
Kenya Standard. 2019. Specification for masonry units. Part 1: Clay masonry units. DKS 2802-1. Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Koroth, S. R., P. Fazio, and D. Feldman. 1998. “Evaluation of clay brick durability using ultrasonic pulse velocity.” J. Archit. Eng. 4 (4): 142–147. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1076-0431(1998)4:4(142).
Lynch, G. C. J. 2015. Brickwork: History, technology and practice. London: Routledge.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. 2014. Iranian national building code, Part 8: Masonry buildings. 2nd ed. Tehran, Iran: Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
Mohajerani, A., and B. Karabatak. 2020. “Microplastics and pollutants in biosolids have contaminated agricultural soils: An analytical study and a proposal to cease the use of biosolids in farmlands and utilise them in sustainable bricks.” Waste Manage. 107 (Apr): 252–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.04.021.
Okunade, E. A. 2008. “The effect of wood ash and sawdust admixtures on the engineering properties of a burnt laterite-clay brick.” J. Appl. Sci. 8 (6): 1042–1048. https://doi.org/10.3923/jas.2008.1042.1048.
Ornam, K., M. Kimsan, and L. O. Ngkoimani. 2017. “Study on physical and mechanical properties with its environmental impact in Konawe-Indonesia upon utilization of sago husk as filler in modified structural fly ash-bricks.” Procedia Comput. Sci. 111: 420–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.06.043.
Pérez-Villarejo, L., S. Martínez-Martínez, B. Carrasco-Hurtado, D. Eliche-Quesada, C. Ureña-Nieto, and P. J. Sánchez-Soto. 2015. “Valorization and inertization of galvanic sludge waste in clay bricks.” Appl. Clay Sci. 105 (Mar): 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2014.12.022.
Phonphuak, N. 2013. “Effects of additive on the physical and thermal conductivity of fired clay brick.” J. Chem. Sci. Technol. 2 (1): 95–99.
Phonphuak, N., S. Kanyakam, and P. Chindaprasirt. 2016. “Utilization of waste glass to enhance physical–mechanical properties of fired clay brick.” J. Cleaner Prod. 112 (Jan): 3057–3062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.10.084.
Reddy, B. V. V., and K. S. Jagadish. 2003. “Embodied energy of common and alternative building materials and technologies.” Energy Build. 35 (2): 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(01)00141-4.
Rouf, M. A. 2003. Effects of using arsenic-iron sludge in brick making. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Dept. of Civil Engineering, Military Institute of Science and Technology.
Sarani, N. A., A. A. Kadir, A. S. A. Rahim, and A. Mohajerani. 2018. “Properties and environmental impact of the mosaic sludge incorporated into fired clay bricks.” Constr. Build. Mater. 183 (Sep): 300–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.06.171.
Seaverson, E. J., D. A. Brosnan, J. C. Frederic, and J. P. Sanders. 2002. “Predicting the freeze-thaw durability of bricks based on residual expansion.” In Proc., Masonry: Opportunities for the 21st Century. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Shih, P.-H., Z.-Z. Wu, and H.-L. Chiang. 2004. “Characteristics of bricks made from waste steel slag.” Waste Manage. 24 (10): 1043–1047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2004.08.006.
Sorna, S. M., S. E. Anjum, S. B. Ashraf, and R. Haque. 2017. “Effects of rice husk ash and brick waste on the properties of construction bricks.” In Proc., Applied Mechanics and Materials, 81–86. Baech, Switzerland: Trans Tech Publication.
Sutas, J., A. Mana, and L. Pitak. 2012. “Effect of rice husk and rice husk ash to properties of bricks.” Procedia Eng. 32: 1061–1067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2012.02.055.
Sutcu, M., H. Alptekin, E. Erdogmus, Y. Er, and O. Gencel. 2015. “Characteristics of fired clay bricks with waste marble powder addition as building materials.” Constr. Build. Mater. 82 (May): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.02.055.
TEC (Turkish Earthquake Code). 2007. Turkish earthquake code-specification for structures to be built in disaster areas. Turkey: Ministry of Public Works and Settlement.
Tiffo, E., A. Elimbi, J. D. Manga, and A. B. Tchamba. 2015. “Red ceramics produced from mixtures of kaolinite clay and waste glass.” Braz. J. Sci. Technol. 2 (1): 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40552-015-0009-9.
Wiemes, L., U. Pawlowsky, and V. Mymrin. 2017. “Incorporation of industrial wastes as raw materials in brick’s formulation.” J. Cleaner Prod. 142 (Jul): 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.174.
Xu, Y., L. Jiang, J. Xu, and Y. Li. 2012. “Mechanical properties of expanded polystyrene lightweight aggregate concrete and brick.” Constr. Build. Mater. 27 (1): 32–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.08.030.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 6 • June 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 27, 2020
Accepted: Nov 5, 2020
Published online: Mar 26, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Aug 26, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.