Optimization of synthesizing bricks from red mud composite with coconut fiber and clay

Abstract

Red Mud is a bauxite solid waste which is dangerous for the environment because of its alkalinity (10-13). With a very high pH, it can interfere with the hydrological conditions of areas that are directly affected by Red mud. Efforts to utilize red mud to have use-value have been widely carried out. Red mud consists of Gibbsite, Hematite and Cristobalite. The main ingredients of red mud are Fe2O3, Al2O3, and SiO2 which can still be utilized by 44.66%, 28.87% and 20.21%. Red mud can be utilized as a basic material for bricks. Red mud needs to be composited with other materials because it does not have enough SiO2 composition to get good quality bricks. For this reason, in this study, Red mud was composed of clay and coconut fiber. Both of these materials are known to have high SiO2 content compared to Red mud. In this study, the optimal composition of red mud, clay, and coconut fiber ash compositions was 3: 3: 1.