Study on engineering and thermal properties of environment-friendly lightweight brick made from Kinmen oyster shells & sorghum waste

Abstract

The application of adding oyster shells and rice straw into cement has proven its applicability in past researches. This project not only focuses on the engineering study of the application of adding oyster shells into cement to make lightweight bricks, but also discusses the feasibility of replacing fine aggregates with the unique agricultural waste of Kinmen Island, sorghum. The study is mainly about achieving the best mixing ratio of ground oyster shells and sorghum to replace fine aggregate. The present study found that when the best mixing ratio of replacing fine aggregates with ground oyster shell and sorghum is achieved, the compaction degree was not significantly decreased. Fine aggregates replaced by up to 10–15% waste products—that is, made from 10% ground oyster shells or mixing 10% ground oyster shells and sorghum (5%) without other admixtures, meet the Chinese National Standards (CNS) and a lower thermal conductivity. Replacing fine aggregates with Kinmen’s fishery and agricultural waste, oyster shells and sorghum, and adding to generic non-structural light bricks not only decreases the use of cement mortar, imported partition bricks are replaced in addition to decreasing the overall carbon footprint of the island, balancing the island’s annual agricultural and fishery waste and needed construction materials, and solving environmental pollution problems stemming from business waste.