Bricks Geopolymer Based on Olive Waste Fly Ash: Mechanical Properties

Each year, billions of bricks are produced in the world, but their production is far from environmentally friendly. A growing field of research is focusing on geopolymer bricks constructed with lignocellulosic ashes and calcined clays as a long-lasting, durable, and sustainable binder. This study aims to develop geopolymer bricks utilizing clay from a burned brick factory’s quarry that had been calcined at 700 ℃ for an hour and fly ash (10 to 30%) generated from biomass combustion (olive waste) as an aluminosilicate’s sources. As an alkaline activator, a solution of 8 M NaOH was utilized. According to DRX, while 700 ℃ is inadequate to convert the crystalline phases of clay into more reactive amorphous phases and, as a result, to initiate the geoplymerization reaction, adding potassium and calcium-rich ashes results in stronger bricks.