Abstract
Cigarette butts (CBs) are the most commonly littered waste material in the world. It is estimated that over 5.7 trillion cigarettes are consumed worldwide each year. Consequently, millions of tonnes of highly toxic waste are contaminating the environment. CBs are composed of cellulose acetate filters—a polymer with poor biodegradability—and which, depending upon the environmental conditions, can take many years to decompose. In this study, fired clay bricks were manufactured with 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% CBs by mass and tested against control bricks with 0% CBs. The results revealed a decrease in compressive strength from 48.6 MPa for 0% CB content bricks to 30.8 MPa for 1% CB content bricks, and a decrease in dry density with the increase in CB content, from 2114 kg/m3 for the control bricks to 1983 kg/m3 and 1969 kg/m3 for 1% and 2% CB content bricks. The highest value of water absorption appeared for 2% CB content bricks, which reached an absorption rate of 13.1% compared to 9% for the control bricks. The energy required during the firing process was calculated with a saving of up to 10.20%, for bricks incorporating 1% CBs. The thermal conductivity of the samples showed a reduction of 17% from 1.078 to 0.898 W m−1·K−1 with the addition of 1% CBs. In addition, the manufactured bricks were tested for efflorescence, an initial rate of absorption (IRA), microstructural analysis, and shrinkage. A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is recommended to analyze the environmental impacts of bricks incorporating CBs.
Highlights
Due to the increasing requirements of environmentally-friendly, lightweight, and low-cost construction materials, many studies have been devoted to finding ways to optimize the performance of the materials used in the building industry, such that the effect on the environment is minimized [1,2].one-third of the world’s energy consumption is consumed in buildings [3], while 50%of this is lost due to the poor thermal conductivity of the walls [4]
Property tests were conducted for five types of the sample: 0% Cigarette butts (CBs), 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%!CBs
The development of pores within the structure of the brick can be associated with the added CBs that burnt off during the firing process as a consequence of the volatile organic content in the CBs
Summary
One-third of the world’s energy consumption is consumed in buildings [3], while 50%. Of this is lost due to the poor thermal conductivity of the walls [4]. Fired clay bricks are the most conventionally used masonry material around the globe [5]. Their interesting physical, thermal, and mechanical properties allow them to be the ultimate material for the construction of buildings, especially their durability, compactness, and strength [6]. Buildings consume great amounts of thermal energy. The internal warmth generated by heating is lost due to the high thermal conductivity of traditional bricks, while, in the summer, the coolness can escape due to the same reasoning. Enhancing the insulation effectiveness of construction material will significantly lower the impact on the environment
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