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Building and Environment 38 (2003) 1451 – 1455

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Reuse of waste bricks in the production line

Ismail Demir a;∗ , Mehmet Orhanb
a Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Technical Education, A.N. Sezer Kampusu, Afyon/Turkey
b Faculty
of Technical Education, Gazi University, 06500 Besevler, Ankara, Turkey
Received 27 February 2003; received in revised form 4 April 2003; accepted 25 May 2003

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to investigate the addition of waste-brick material in brick production. The e2ects of recycling
of waste brick material on the durability and mechanical properties of the bricks were analysed. Fired waste bricks cause considerable
harm to the environment. During production, especially in the 3ring, transportation and construction procedures, large amounts of bricks
are broken and have to be dumped in land3lls or used as a 3lling material. For this purpose, the chemical and mineralogical structures of
;
waste bricks from the Corum region in West-Anatolia, Turkey, were investigated. After pulverizing, the samples were divided into two
categories: A passing through a 4:75 mm sieve (coarse) and B passing a 600
m sieve (3ne). In order to obtain comparable test results,
ratios of the waste (0, 10, 20 and 30% by mass) were added to the raw-brick clay. Standard test methods were used to determine the
mechanical properties of the bricks at di2erent 3ring temperatures. The results show that at a mass of 30% 3ne-waste material additive,
3red at 900◦ C, the test sample has an adequate strength. The reuse of this material in the industry would contribute to the protection of
farmland and the environment.
? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Brick; Clay; Waste brick; Reuse; Environment

1. Introduction and porosity of the 3red structure. Traditional ceramics

In recent decades, the growing consumption and the
consequent increase of industrial production has led to a
fast decrease of available natural resources (raw materials)
in Turkey. On the other hand, a high volume of produc-
tion rejects or sub-products is generated, most of them not
directly recyclable. Traditionally, disposal as soil condi-
tioner or land 3lling are the commonly used processes for
their consumption, but alternative ways to reuse several
types of waste materials have been attempted in recent
years, including incorporation in clay-based ceramic prod-
ucts [1–7]. The possibility of recycling of the waste in the
brick industry is thus of increasing importance.
Mineral composition, degree of consolidation and work-
ability determine the technological properties of clay. These
properties are: particle size distribution, plasticity, dry dura-
bility, fried-material durability, thermal-vitri3cation gap,
3ring colour, drying and 3ring shrinkage, water absorption
∗Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: idemir@aku.edu.tr (I. Demir), orhanm@gazi.edu.tr
(M. Orhan).
generally consist of a mixture of three elements, clay, Bux-
ing material and 3ller. Existing water contributes to particles
slipping over each other and the plastic properties [8].
The most critical cracking period, during drying, comes
after the stage of constant shrinking rate. Most fracture and
cracking damage is caused by di2erences in 3ring shrinkages
[9]. The material that forms the mixture loses its water and
other volatile substances during the heating procedure. The
clay particles and Buxes within the mixture start reacting
to create a glassy mass (vitri3cation) at a temperature of
1000◦ C and above, during which sintering and condensation
occur [10].
Orhan and Demir stated that the addition of river sand
within the production mix contributes to minimization of
the fractures occurring during drying and 3ring due to the
high plasticity of clay. A raw material containing 10 –15%
clean-river sand was used in the drying and 3ring test
procedures. The results showed that the addition of 15%
river sand has a positive e2ect of reducing the cracks
occurring during the drying and 3ring procedures [11].
In the production of clay-based building materials, there
has been a tendency to use inexpensive clays in order to

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1452 I. Demir, M. Orhan / Building and Environment 38 (2003) 1451 – 1455

compete with other construction materials and reduce the Table 1

production cost. The clays used are commonly glacial clays, Chemical composition of the materials
shale or alluvial clays that contain considerable amounts Oxide Raw clay The waste brick
of impurities. These clay minerals are normally mixed (900◦ C)
with quartz, feldspar, mica and other impurities. Secondary
SiO2 45.51 55.91
impurities include dolomite, rutile and ferruginous miner- Al2 O3 15.30 16.68
als. During regular 3ring, the larger-grain quartz and other CaO 6.16 7.20
accessory minerals are normally not a2ected. The clay used MgO 2.50 2.32
contains suDcient impurities for a glassy phase to form K2 O 3.09 2.44
Na2 O 0.78 1.09
rapidly. Details of the resultant structure depend on the
SO3 0.17 0.96
particular composition of clays and the 3ring procedure Fe2 O3 7.01 8.29
carried out. In material that is under3red, the clay phase L.O.I. 12.71 2.28
contains many small pores, leading to low strength, poor Total 93.23 97.17
resistance to frost and freezing, and generally unsatisfactory
properties [12].
In this study, the samples (original and waste), taken 100
from the Corum
; (Turkey) region, were tested and the 90
chemical, mineralogical and thermal properties of mixtures 80
made of di2erent percentages of ground waste-brick addi-

passing (%)
70
tive were determined. Samples were 3red at temperatures 60
of 900◦ C; 1000◦ C and 1100◦ C. The physical and chemical 50
properties of the samples were tested and compared with 40
Virgin clay
ASTM and TS (Turkish Standard Code). Fine additive
30
20
Coarse additive
10
2. Materials and methods 0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10

The materials and methods used to measure the structural Fig. 1. Particle size distribution.
properties and feasibility of using recycled material for brick
production are explained in this section.

2.1. Brick raw material and waste additive

The brick waste used in this study was taken from the
Corum
; region in Turkey at the production site. This material
is non-plastic and sintered. It is estimated that approximately
12 000 000 U=year (42 000 000 tone=year) of waste bricks
have been produced in the region. In order to make test
samples, the clay was taken from raw material stockpiled
in the production area and waste bricks were taken from a
waste depot. Chemical tests were carried out on the samples
as shown in Table 1. The test results show the same trends
as described in the literature, but the heating loss is slightly
higher.
Particle size distributions of the raw clay, 3ne (−600 mm)
and coarse (−4:75 mm) additives were analysed on a Laser
Size Distribution Analyzer (Master Sizer X 1.2b) and the
test results are shown in Fig. 1.
It is possible to explain the lines that occurred on the DTA
test curves (Fig. 2) as follows: (1) at the beginning, due
to dehydration (loss of crystal water within the layers) an
endothermic curve occurred at 124◦ C; (2) a second
endothermic curve, due to loss of crystal water (decompo-
sition) occurred between 315◦ C and 515◦ C; (3) the third
endothermic curve occurred at about 780◦ C (beginning of
melting).
Fig. 2. DTA curves of clay material used.
The XRD patterns of raw-brick clay are shown in
Fig. 3. Minerals that are illite, montmorillonite and quartz
were determined. It is seen that the illite mica group has
three layers of unexpanded structure compared to the others.
2.2. Determination of mixture composition and
preparation of samples
In order to achieve comparable results, two di2erent
groups of samples were produced, based on their addi-
tive grain sizes. Group A contained −4:75 mm particles
and group B, −0:600 mm particles. For each group, mixes
containing variable contents of waste, 0% (control mix),
10%, 20%, 30% by weight were added to the raw clay
(Table 2). The samples were prepared by using metal
moulds (diameter: 30 and height: 45 mm).
 I. Demir, M. Orhan / Building and Environment 38 (2003) 1451 – 1455 1453

Fig. 3. XRD patterns of clay materials (C: calcite, Ca: CaCO3 , Cl: clinochlore, I: illite, K: kaolin, M: muscovite, Mn: montmorillonite Q: quartz).

Table 2
Mixture proportions of the materials

Samples code A10 A20 A30 B10 B20 B30 N0*

Grain size of the waste (mm) −4:75 −4:75 −4:75 −0:600 −0:600 −0:600 —
The waste (% by weight) 10 20 30 10 20 30 —
Brick clay (% by weight) 90 80 70 90 80 70 100

N0*: non-additive (control series).

Table 3
The mean values of plasticity (Ps), drying shrinkage (Sd), total shrinkage (St) and L.O.I.a

Samples code Grain Size (mm) Ps (%) Sd (%) Total shrinkage (St: %) L.O.I. (%)

900◦ C 1000◦ C 1100◦ C 900◦ C 1000◦ C 1100◦ C

N −4:75 25.00 3.50 4.86 5.06 6.11 10.48 10.50 10.73

A10 −4:75 23.80 2.66 4.13 4.56 5.69 10.18 10.28 10.50
A20 −4:75 23.00 2.12 4.06 4.40 4.46 8.96 9.26 9.94
A30 −4:75 22.80 1.71 2.79 3.10 3.41 7.85 8.20 8.72
B10 −0:600 23.75 3.25 5.05 5.17 6.00 10.18 10.28 10.50
B20 −0:600 23.15 3.00 4.67 4.99 5.61 8.72 8.82 9.09
B30 −0:600 22.65 2.18 3.79 4.30 5.05 7.88 7.96 8.19
a Literature values: Ps (%), 20 –30; Sd (max. %), 8; St (max. %) 10 [14].

2.3. Firing
The test samples were 3red at 900◦ C; 1000◦ C and 1100◦ C
with a heating rate of 150◦ C=h and held for 30 min.
3. Test results and discussion
At least 10 samples were used in each test for all
categories and the average values are presented and dis-
cussed in this section.
3.1. Physical properties
The average values of plasticity water (Ps), drying
shrinkage (Sd) and total shrinkage (St) of samples sintered
at di2erent temperatures are shown in Table 3. The results
indicate an e2ect of decreasing plasticity in the both the
coarse (−4:75 mm) and 3ne (−0:600 mm) mixtures of
waste additives. It is apparent that plasticity values for brick
clays indicate the same trend as described in Technical Notes
on Brick Construction [14].
The drying shrinkage of waste-containing samples is
signi3cantly lower than that of samples manufactured from
the brick clay only. The 3ring shrinkage increased with in-
creasing temperature and decreased with increasing amounts
of waste. The 3ring loss value of samples decreased with
increasing amount of waste addition and increased with
increasing 3ring temperature. As a result, there is a linear
decrease in the drying and total shrinkage as the amount of
waste material increases in the mixture. This reduction is
more signi3cant in the coarse mixture compared to the 3ne
mixture. It is considered that the reduction in drying shrink-
age of brick material causes a positive e2ect by decreasing
any internal strain that may occur during the drying process.
3.2. Mechanical properties
The samples (of each group, coarse and 3ne) were 3red
at 900◦ C; 1000◦ C and 1100◦ C, then tested to determine
1454 I. Demir, M. Orhan / Building and Environment 38 (2003) 1451 – 1455

Table 4
Mechanical propertiesa

Sample code Grain size (mm) Compressive stress (Mpa) AFCST (Mpa) LMT (Mpa) Water absorption (%)

900◦ C 1000◦ C 1100◦ C 900◦ C 1000◦ C 1100◦ C 900◦ C 1000◦ C 1100◦ C 900◦ C 1000◦ C 1100◦ C

N −4:75 8.50 12.20 22.21 6.90 8.50 18.05 7.80 9.50 19.80 16.60 14.47 12.40
A10 −4:75 7.52 10.40 18.50 6.40 8.20 15.70 6.45 8.35 16.75 17.20 16.89 14.69
A20 −4:75 7.15 9.15 17.70 6.10 6.90 15.25 6.25 7.25 16.10 18.05 17.10 15.35
A30 −4:75 7.05 8.80 13.92 6.00 6.60 11.00 6.15 6.75 12.15 19.35 18.15 15.85
B10 −0:600 8.49 11.45 21.15 6.85 8.30 16.25 7.25 9.00 18.20 16.90 15.36 13.25
B20 −0:600 8.32 10.80 20.74 6.35 7.90 14.45 6.85 8.55 14.60 17.55 16.29 13.80
B30 −0:600 7.85 10.10 18.84 6.20 7.15 11.60 6.40 8.00 12.90 18.40 17.65 14.50
a Literature values: compressive str.: min. 5 Mpa; AFCST: 4 Mpa [13]; water absorption 18% [14].

the compressive strength of the mix. An apparatus with a
testing capacity of 25 kN pressure was used in the procedure.
The minimum average crushing strength prescribed in the
Turkish code for burnt clay hollow bricks is 5 MPa [13]. It
was observed that in all mix proportions, even those with a
high waste content, the compressive strength of the samples
was above 5 MPa (Table 4).
Three other parameters are described that a2ected the
stress durability. The 3rst is the sintering temperature,
second is the particle size distribution and third the total
amount of waste material added. The test results indicate
that an increase in the sintering temperature contributes to
increased compressive strength and thereby durability of
the mixture. This is possibly because increased sintering
temperature increases vitri3cation in the mix-structure and
therefore decreases the pore space in the structure. An in-
crease in waste material content leads to decreased strength
and durability. It is thought that the waste material, which
is non-plastic, remained mostly inert at the test tempera-
tures. This e2ect is more apparent in the coarse mixture.
In addition, frost durability of the mix was investigated. In
this test, the samples were placed in a water tank for 48 h
and then placed in a freezer at −15◦ C for 2 h. The sam-
ples taken from the freezer were placed in a water tank at
room temperature to thaw for 1 h. This procedure was re-
peated 25 times, during which the samples were examined
for cracks, decomposition or scaling, and any damage was
listed (Table 4).
After the frost compressive strength test (AFCST) the
specimens performed according to TS 705 and the results
indicate that the samples have compressive strengths within
the speci3cations.
The 3red samples were tested for lime and magnesia,
which have a detrimental e2ect, by means of lime–magnesia
tests (LMT). The samples were placed in a water tank at
room temperature for 24 h, and then in a boiling water
tank for 2 h. After the test, the samples were examined for
any structural damages such as fracture, disintegration, de-
composition, or Baking and no damage was observed. The
samples were tested for stress durability and results showed
that the samples matched the TS 705 speci3cations [13].
The water absorption values decreased with increasing
3ring temperature, and increased with increasing amounts
of waste material in the mixtures. Those samples 3red at
1000◦ C and 1100◦ C were found to be within speci3ca-
tions (18% water absorption by weight) [14,15]. However,
samples of the series A20, A30 and B30, 3red at 900◦ C,
have a slightly higher water absorption than the required
18% by weight. This is because an increase in sintering
temperature causes a decrease in total-pore space in the
structure.
4. Conclusions
Based on the experimental investigation reported in this
paper, the following conclusions are drawn:
1. Use of both the coarse and 3ne crushed waste brick
additives decreased plasticity of the mixture.
2. An increase in the content of waste additives leads to a
decrease in the drying shrinkage. The coarse additives
were more e2ective in this regard, compared with the 3ne
mix. This is regarded as a positive e2ect that minimizes
damage occurring during the drying procedure.
3. Two factors that a2ect the total shrinkage are the amount
of additive and the 3ring temperature. An increase of
additive leads to a decrease in the total shrinkage, and an
increase in 3ring temperature also leads to an increase,
which is an important factor in producing the speci3ed
dimensions.
4. Fire loss increased as the 3ring temperature increased and
decreased as the amount of waste additive increased.
5. Compressive strength values increase with increasing
sintering temperature. Increase in the waste brick content
leads to decreased durability and compressive strength
meets the required speci3cation in all mixtures.
6. After the frost-resistance test, no signi3cant damage
was observed and the samples meet the speci3cation in
durability.
7. In the test for harmful lime–magnesia, no signi3cant
damage such as cracks, disintegration, decomposition
 I. Demir, M. Orhan / Building and Environment 38 (2003) 1451 – 1455
was observed and the samples meet standard
speci3cations.
8. The water absorption value increases as the waste
addition amount increases, but an increase in the 3ring
temperature causes a decrease in the water absorption.
The samples which were 3red at temperatures of 1000◦ C
and 1100◦ C meet the strength speci3cations and some of
the samples 3red at 900◦ C have slightly higher values.
5. Suggestions
According to tests results, a mixture of up to 30% 3ne
waste-brick additives can be used in brick production.
The most economical 3ring temperature was determined
as 900◦ C. Usage of waste material in the raw mixture
minimizes the physical damage that may occur during
brick production. The reuse of waste-brick material in brick
production provides an economical contribution and also
helps protect the environment.
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