Utilization of phosphogypsum and rice husk to develop sustainable bricks

Abstract

Rapid industrialization and advancement in technology have led to the creation of bulk loads of waste material. Subsequently, the management of these waste materials has been a topic of major concern due to their complex treatment processes. As a result, utilizing these wastes with new ideas has presented viable solutions to global concerns in recent years. One of them is the utilization of waste materials in manufacturing sustainable brick. In the present study, phosphogypsum (PG), rice husk ash (RHA), and cement are used in different proportions [PG-65% to 82.5%, RHA-2.5% to 15%, cement-15% to 20%] to develop sustainable bricks. The developed sustainable bricks were tested as per the Indian and ASTM Standards. Findings revealed that the compressive strength and water absorption value of composition ‘H’ [PG(77.5%). RHA(7.5%). CEMENT(15%)] meet the requirement of IS 3495:1992. The designed sustainable brick of composition ‘H' is shown to have a higher specific heat capacity than commercially available fly ash bricks (FAB) and burnt clay bricks (BCB); hence the developed sustainable brick (composition H) is found to be thermally insulated. Present research can be used by various resource persons who are active in developing sustainable construction materials or bricks from industrial wastes.