Selection of eco-friendly alternative brick for sustainable development; A study on Technical, Economic, Environmental and Social feasibility

Abstract

The pursuit of sustainable development has become increasingly important in addressing the challenges of environmental degradation and resource depletion. The construction industry accounts for significant global resource consumption and pollution. The study aims to investigate the selection of alternative bricks for sustainable development. Social, Economic, Environmental and Technical feasibility was studied to identify the best alternative brick. Five different bricks, i.e., Fired clay brick (FCB), Fly ash cement brick (FACB), Fly ash geopolymer brick (FAGB), Recycled concrete waste geopolymer brick (RCWB) and recycled brick waste geopolymer brick (RBWB), were developed and their technical and environmental impacts were studied. A life cycle analysis (LCA) of one brick was carried out, and seven impacts were studied and reported in this paper. Multi-criteria decision-making methodology (MCDM) was used to select the best brick. In addition, the microstructural properties of recycled geopolymer brick were investigated to study the morphology and mineralogy of the brick’s mixes. Sustainability Index (SI) indicates that fired bricks contribute a higher environmental impact per compressive strength in comparison with alternative bricks. According to the Analytical Hierarchy process (AHP), RBWB is the preferred choice with an overall weight of 0.22, followed by fly ash cement brick (0.217). The mineral resource scarcity (MRS) of 82–87 % can be reduced if alternative recycling waste materials were used in production of brick.