Effect of stone wool waste from greenhouse agriculture in brick production

Abstract

The greenhouse agriculture sector, which strongly affects human health and the ecological balance, is among the greatest generators of stone wool waste (SWW), which has adverse environmental effects. The use of SWW from greenhouse agriculture in brick production is of particular importance to protect natural clay sources and reduce waste materials. Therefore, this experimental study examined the effects of the use of this SWW in brickmaking on the features of fired clay bricks. In order to determine the maximum mixing ratios, brick samples were prepared from mixtures of clay/SWW in the proportions of 95/5, 90/10, 87.5/12.5 and 82.5/17.5 wt%. Then, the effects on the physical, thermal and mechanical features of the bricks were examined by firing at temperatures of 850 °C, 950 °C and 1050 °C. The physical and mechanical features of fired clay bricks made with various percentages of SWWs are described and addressed. The qualities of the prepared building bricks met the ASTM C62 requirements for building materials— the compressive and bending strength performance values were 27 MPa and 13.79 MPa, respectively. The results show that depending on the percentage of SWW introduced into the raw clay materials, the bulk density of fired bricks may be lowered by up to 13%. The pore-forming function of SWW had a promising impact on thermal insulation of up to 20.75% decrease following the addition of 10% at 1050 °C. Freeze/thaw durability showed better performance in bricks containing up to 10% SWW at 1050 °C, and this value was found to be less than 3%. According to the findings, using SWW in brick manufacturing can help recycle abundant greenhouse agriculture wastes while also developing fired clay bricks with desired properties.