Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks

Mukhtar, Ahmad; Qazi, Asad Ullah; Khan, Qasim Shaukat; Munir, Muhammad Junaid; Kazmi, Syed Minhaj Saleem; Hameed, Asif

doi:10.3390/su14116692

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks

by

Ahmad Mukhtar

¹,

Asad Ullah Qazi

¹

,

Qasim Shaukat Khan

¹,

Muhammad Junaid Munir

^2,*

,

Syed Minhaj Saleem Kazmi

²

and

Asif Hameed

¹

Civil Engineering Department, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan

²

School of Engineering, RMIT University, 376-392 Swanston St., Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6692; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116692

Submission received: 22 April 2022 / Revised: 21 May 2022 / Accepted: 26 May 2022 / Published: 30 May 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organic Materials Used in the Construction Sector)

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Abstract

In this research study, environmentally friendly unburnt coal ash (CA) bricks were investigated as an alternative to conventional burnt clay bricks. In this research study, various physical and mechanical properties of unburnt CA bricks were investigated. The unburnt CA bricks were prepared by using 60% CA and 10% lime by weight. In these unburnt CA bricks, varying cement contents (5%, 10%, and 15%), sand contents (10% and 15%), and quarry dust contents (5% and 10%) by weight were used. A forming pressure of 29 MPa was applied through an automatic pressure control system either for 3 s or 6 s. The prepared bricks were moist cured for 28 days. The experimental results exhibited that unburnt CA bricks with 10% cement, 10% sand, and 10% quarry dust subjected to forming pressure for 3 s exhibited the highest compressive strength of 19 MPa and flexural strength of 2.1 MPa. The unburnt CA bricks exhibited reduced water absorption, reduced efflorescence, and lower weight per unit area than the conventional clay bricks. A cost comparison of unburnt CA bricks and clay bricks exhibited that unburnt CA bricks are cost-effective compared to clay bricks.

Keywords: coal ash; unburnt brick; efflorescence; water absorption; compressive strength; modulus of rupture

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mukhtar, A.; Qazi, A.U.; Khan, Q.S.; Munir, M.J.; Kazmi, S.M.S.; Hameed, A. Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks. Sustainability 2022, 14, 6692. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116692

AMA Style

Mukhtar A, Qazi AU, Khan QS, Munir MJ, Kazmi SMS, Hameed A. Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks. Sustainability. 2022; 14(11):6692. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116692

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mukhtar, Ahmad, Asad Ullah Qazi, Qasim Shaukat Khan, Muhammad Junaid Munir, Syed Minhaj Saleem Kazmi, and Asif Hameed. 2022. "Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks" Sustainability 14, no. 11: 6692. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116692

APA Style

Mukhtar, A., Qazi, A. U., Khan, Q. S., Munir, M. J., Kazmi, S. M. S., & Hameed, A. (2022). Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks. Sustainability, 14(11), 6692. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116692

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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