Production and optimization of eco-bricks

Abstract

Waste plastics are often indiscriminately disposed into the built environment and sometimes voyaged into the sea, constitute nuisance to the built environment and disturb aquatic life. These threats have birthed researches for the promotion of circular economy in plastic waste management. However, few studies have investigated the use of waste plastic in the production of eco-bricks. This study examined the effect of moisture content and soil types on the characterisation of eco-bricks under compressive load. Samples of eco-bricks were produced using laterite, sharp sand and stone dust at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% moisture contents as infill materials. The soil samples were tested of specific gravity, fineness modulus and uniformity coefficient computation to determine the suitability of the samples, while the eco-bricks produced with the soil samples were subjected to compressive load. The study found a positive relationship between soil moisture content and compressive strength of eco-bricks produced with sharp sand and stone dust while the compressive strength of laterite bottle bricks had a negative relationship with the moisture content. Also, the specific strength, Poisson’s ratio and bulk density of the eco-bricks were satisfactory at varying soil moisture contents. The study concludes that soil moisture content affects the performance of bottle bricks and adequate consideration for soil types in the production of eco-bricks is paramount.