Production of eco-friendly clay bricks from municipal construction and demolition waste
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1
Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Georesources and Renewable Energies, Faculty of Sciences and Technics, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco.
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Laboratory of Engineering, Electrochemistry, Modeling and Environment, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
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Departement of Biology-Geology, Graduate Normal School, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
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Higher School of Education and Formation_Oujda, Mohammed Premier University, Oujda, Morocco.
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LOMC UMR 6294 CNRS, University Le Havre Normandie, 76600 Le Havre, France.
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Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Georesources and Renewable Energies, Faculty of Sciences and Technics, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Corresponding author
RAINI IMANE
Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Georesources and Renewable Energies, Faculty of Sciences and Technics, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco.
J. Ecol. Eng. 2025; 26(3)
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ABSTRACT
Although rapid urbanization has improved the quality of life by enabling the development of infrastructure, and buildings, it has also contributed to a significant increase in construction and demolition waste (CDW). Traditionally, most CDW has ended up in landfills and has not sufficiently valorized, exacerbating environmental degradation. Another repercussion of the building sector is the depletion of non-renewable resources, such as clay, to meet the extensive demands for building materials. Thus, this work proposes an effective solution for valorizing various types of CDW as an alternative raw material to produce valuable fired bricks. This paper evaluates the technological properties of bricks containing concrete waste (CW), ceramic waste (EW), and glass waste (GW). These wastes were analyzed using various techniques, including X-ray diffractometry, X-ray fluorescence, differential thermal analysis, and geotechnical testing. The results showed that incorporating CW into brick bodies notably reduced the density and flexural strength compared to the reference sample, leading to an increase in the rate of capillary water absorption. Therefore, the amount of waste concrete fines added to ceramic materials must be strictly controlled. However, the addition of GW and EW was more beneficial, with adequate water absorption and a significant improvement in flexural strength, reaching 14.9 MPa for marl and 20 MPa for clay. In summary, this research highlighted the possible use of CDW as a sustainable additive for clay bricks, presenting a practical solution to reduce the costs of the construction industry and tackle both environmental and resource-related issues.