Incorporation of Fired Ceramic Waste into Binary and Ternary Earth-Binder (S) Mixtures for Compressed Blocks

Abstract

In Brazil, the majority of construction and demolition waste materials (CDW) is sent to waste dumps or landfill sites. Having low cost applications in mind, this work has the purpose of investigating the effect of the incorporation of fired ceramic rubble reclaimed from CDW obtained directly from the building construction industry on the final properties of compressed earth blocks, which are especially interesting in low-income and marginalized communities. To this aim, clay-based mixtures containing up to 5 wt.% of ceramic rubble were prepared. Lime and cement were added as binders (6, 8, 10 and 12 wt.%). Cylindrical test pieces were produced by uniaxial compression and left to harden at ambient conditions for 7, 28 and 56 days. The hardened specimens were characterized in terms of microstructure (SEM), compressive strength, water absorption and wear resistance. The results obtained in physical and mechanical evaluation tests demonstrated that small contents of ceramic rubble from the building construction industry can easily be incorporated into compressed earth blocks without degradation of typical properties, enabling savings in cement addition.