Crushed Bricks: Demolition Waste as a Sustainable Raw Material for Geopolymers

Gigliola D’Angelo, Marina Fumo, Mercedes del Rio Merino, Ilaria Capasso, Assunta Campanile, Fabio Iucolano, Domenico Caputo and Barbara Liguori
Additional contact information
Gigliola D’Angelo: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering (DICEA), University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Marina Fumo: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering (DICEA), University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Mercedes del Rio Merino: Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas y su Control, Escuela Técnica Superior de Edificación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Avda. Juan de Herrera 6, 28220 Madrid, Spain
Ilaria Capasso: Department of Engineering and Geology, University of Chieti-Pescara “G d’Annunzio”, Viale Pindaro 42, 65122 Pescara, Italy
Assunta Campanile: ACLabs-Applied Chemistry Labs, Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Fabio Iucolano: ACLabs-Applied Chemistry Labs, Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Domenico Caputo: ACLabs-Applied Chemistry Labs, Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Barbara Liguori: ACLabs-Applied Chemistry Labs, Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: Demolition activity plays an important role in the total energy consumption of the construction industry in the European Union. The indiscriminate use of non-renewable raw materials, energy consumption, and unsustainable design has led to a redefinition of the criteria to ensure environmental protection. This article introduces an experimental plan that determines the viability of a new type of construction material, obtained from crushed brick waste, to be introduced into the construction market. The potential of crushed brick waste as a raw material in the production of building precast products, obtained by curing a geopolymeric blend at 60 °C for 3 days, has been exploited. Geopolymers represent an important alternative in reducing emissions and energy consumption, whilst, at the same time, achieving a considerable mechanical performance. The results obtained from this study show that the geopolymers produced from crushed brick were characterized by good properties in terms of open porosity, water absorption, mechanical strength, and surface resistance values when compared to building materials produced using traditional technologies.

Keywords: eco-sustainable materials; construction and demolition waste; crushed brick waste; geopolymers; waste reuse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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