UTILIZATION OF SOLID WASTES IN CEMENT BRICKS FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFICIAL

The building materials industry generates secondary products or wastes, which have a direct effect on the environment. The storage of such wastes in dumps pollutes the air and contaminates water sources and agricultural fields. There is a tremendous scope for recycling and using such huge quantity of wastes to minimize their environmental impact. This paper investigates the effect of partial/full replacement of conventional aggregates with recycled aggregates in manufacturing of solid cement bricks. Three series of recycled aggregates were used namely; quarry waste, marble waste and crushed ceramic. In each series, either conventional coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, or coarse and fine aggregates simultaneously were replaced with one of the following wastes: quarry waste, marble waste or crushed ceramic. Each type of wastes replaced conventional aggregate at different percentage (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%). Compressive strength, flexural strength, and water absorption were determined and compared with the relevant standards. It was found that it is feasible to recycle quarry waste, marble waste and crushed ceramic as aggregate in the production of solid cement bricks from the technical, economical and environmental point of view as they will conserve natural resources, protect the environment from waste disposal, and produce a low cost product and higher quality product than the conventional one. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]