Abstract
The brick making industry, despite its contribution to environmental pollution, plays a major role in the economic growth of South Africa, with the traditional technology accounting for a significant proportion of the total clay brick production. The aim of this study is to undertake a comprehensive description of the production phases of the traditional brick making sector in Vhembe district and how this contributes to air pollution. The study comprised a series of interviews and questionnaires of key role players from two small villages, Manini and Tshilungoma in the Vhembe district. In-situ observations of the production methods and phases were also undertaken between June and December 2019. The brick making production phases used in Vhembe district are excavation, preparation, moulding, drying and firing. An average estimate of 34,683 bricks is fired monthly per brick kiln in Vhembe district. Emissions from brick making organisations had resulted into several public health and environmental risks. To reduce environmental degradation, the incorporation of industrial and environmental wastes into brick making and the gradual transition to environmentally friendly technology such as Vertical Shaft brick kiln (VSBK) should be embraced. Thus, traditional brick making implemented with appropriate sustainable environmental technology has the potential to improve the socio-economic status of the brick makers.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
This study explores the use of literature to establish the socioeconomic, health and environmental impact of brick making on the brick workers and the environment
The informal brick making industries (IBMI) in the study area were in clusters along waterfronts due to the availability of huge deposits of clay
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Clay brick is one of the most popular and preferred construction material in many parts of the world [1,2,3,4,5] due to their high tensile strength, resilience, thermal and sound insulation, fire and weather resistance [6]. The scarcity of wood and construction stones was reported to have brought about the use of clay brick as substituting construction material [4]. Clay bricks basically supply construction component with definite set of thermal and structural properties that could be supplemented with other kinds of construction medium for building a barrier between the interior and external environments [7]
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