Utilization of construction spoil and recycled powder in fired bricks

The disposal of construction spoil (CS) in landfill sites presents a significant environmental and economic concern due to the increasing amount and the associated disposal costs. This study evaluated the feasibility of utilizing recycled powder derived from construction and demolition waste for producing fired bricks. The mechanical and physical properties of fired CS bricks were characterized, and the microstructure of fired CS bricks was studied. It can be seen that the water absorption and loss on ignitions increase with the increasing RP content, while the bulk density and compressive strength exhibit the opposite trend. In addition, the maximum compressive strength of fired CS bricks is up to 16.1 MPa. The thermal conductivity of fired CS bricks decreases gradually with the increase of RP content ranging from 0 to 20 wt% and is reduced from 0.82 W/(m·K) to 0.59 W/(m·K). There is a positive effect on the increased porosity of fired CS bricks with RP, and the volume of pores increased with the increasing RP content. Therefore, CS and RP could be promising raw materials for preparing fired bricks and generating environmental benefits on a larger scale.