Reducing CO2 Emissions in the Production of Porous Fired Clay Bricksks

Abstract

A plan to reduce CO2 emissions is a priority these days. Brick industry contributes to the increase of these emissions mainly through the use of combustible pore-forming agents such as sawdust, cellulose, and coal sludge. These agents are used to improve the thermal insulation properties of brick products, and the suppliers regularly increase the prices of these agents based on their high consumption. Therefore, in an effort to reduce raw material expenses and CO2 emissions, brick manufacturers are looking for new possibilities while maintaining the quality of their products. This article discusses the possibility of using industrially manufactured product Vuppor as an additive as a replacement for combustible poreforming agents. The presence of this additive in the fired clay body increases the proportion of pores, especially with a size range between 0.1 and 5 µm, having a positive impact on the reduction of its thermal conductivity. With a 0.5 wt.% dose of Vuppor additive, the brick production costs and thermal conductivity can be reduced by 20 % and 12 %, respectively, while also achieving reductions in CO2 emissions over 60 %. Consequently, the combustible pore-forming agents can be used in a more environmentally friendly manner, for example in the furniture industry, the biogas production, and the like.

A Comparison of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Clay Bricks Prepared with Three Different Pore‐Forming Additives: Vermiculite, Wood Ash, and Sawdust

“…Many researchers have investigated clay bricks with various additives incorporated into them . The motivations for researchers adding materials to clay bricks include resource conservation, energy and emissions reduction, waste management, and modifications of the physical and thermal properties of the fired brick, among others . Sani and Nzihou concluded that adding organic wastes to clay bricks reduced the energy required to fire the bricks, and they lowered their thermal conductivity.…”

“…Most researchers used one of three types of additives: organic additives, ash, and inorganic (non‐ash) additives. Examples of organic additives that have been used in clay bricks include several types of biomass and sludge, including wheat straw , sunflower seed cake , olive stone flour , sawdust , tobacco , grass , water hyacinth , sewage sludge , mushroom compost , paper pulp , pomace from the winery industry , and olive mill waste , among others . Examples of ashes used as additives in clay bricks include sugarcane bagasse ash , biochar , ash from incinerators and from coal‐fired power plants , rice husk ash , and wood ash .…”

Investigation of Building Materials’ Radioactivity in a Historical Building—A Case Study

“…The chemical composition of brick samples in Table 3 corresponds to the usual contents of the main elements in brick clay [ 57 ]. According to the chemical composition of the stone samples, the stones could probably belong to granite type [ 58 ].…”

Investigation of ceramic brick rods with blackened materials inside

“…In spite of the clay minerals are used by thousand years their study and examination are in the focus of research in several segments of science [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and industry [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] until today. In our days the brick and ceramic roof tiles industries are the largest user of the conventional brick clays [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. In spite of the large production volume of brick and ceramic roof tile industries and intensive research of the conventional brick clays the drying sensitivity and material structure inhomogeneity can be reason of the scrap formations and quality defaults.…”