article · Case Studies in Construction Materials
Incorporating waste into fired clay bricks presents an alternative method for recycling industrial and agricultural residues. Investigations evaluated brick mixtures where water treatment plant sludge substituted clay at a fifty percent ratio, combined with varying amounts of rice straw ash, sugarcane bagasse ash, and wheat straw ash at five, ten, and fifteen percent of the sludge weight. After seven days of air drying and firing at nine hundred degrees Celsius, the physical, mechanical, and microstructural characteristics were measured. While the addition of agricultural ashes lowered compressive strength relative to mixes without them, replacements between five and ten percent produced viable eco-friendly bricks. Microscopic examination confirmed a more porous structure, which reduced bulk density and yielded lighter bricks. Using a five percent dose of agricultural waste ash balances structural efficiency, cost reduction, and environmental relief.
Disposing of agricultural residues and water treatment plant sludge creates severe environmental burdens. Transforming these waste streams into construction materials reduces demand for natural clay and cuts disposal requirements. Producing lighter fired bricks can also reduce structural weight in buildings, potentially lowering transport and construction expenses while promoting sustainable building practices.
This early-stage research provides laboratory-tested formulations for brick manufacturers seeking lower-cost, eco-friendly raw material substitutes. The findings demonstrate that five to ten percent agricultural ash additions produce lighter fired clay bricks. Real-world application would require scaling up beyond laboratory kiln trials, validating structural building code compliance, and securing reliable supply chains for water treatment sludge and agricultural waste.
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Green building raw materials have become attractive alternatives for mitigating sustainability issues. Agricultural waste has been used as natural components in the production of alternative building products, and the use of burned clay bricks is a new waste disposal method. The main objective of the paper is to investigate the effects of agricultural waste (rice straw, sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw ashes) in clay bricks. This paper discusses the physical–mechanical properties and the micro-structure of clay bricks when incorporated with the sludge of water treatment plants (SWTP) to replace clay at a 50 % ratio. One mixture was prepared as a control mix without agriculture waste. Each group containing three mixes was used with 5 %, 10 % and 15 % by weight of SWTP content. The green bricks was air dried in sunlight for another 7 days and burnt at 900 °C, keeping them at the highest temperature for 3 h. Mechanical and physical properties of these bricks have been investigated. It was observed that clay bricks containing rice straw ash (RSA), sugar cane bagasse ash (SBA) and wheat straw ash (WSA) had lower compressive strength compared to non-RSA, SBA, and WSA clay bricks. The replacement 5–10 % of RSA, SBA and WSA by weight of SWTP into brick molding compound produces eco-friendly fired clay brick. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study confirms the porous microstructure of the brick specimens combining RSA, SBA and WSA resulting in lower bulk density resulting in lighter and more economical structures. Based on this analysis, it can be established that brick samples with lower doses of RSA, SBA and WSA (i.e. 5 % SWTP weight) will not only reduce the environmental pressure but will also lead to more efficient and economical development.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2020.e00397
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