Recycling Crushed Waste Beer Bottle Glass in Fired Clay Bricks

Abstract

Waste glass is a readily available domestic material. Each year, around 257,000 tonnes of glass waste are produced in Victoria, and the majority is glass packings. Typically, mixed waste glass cullet is deposited in landfills due to the limited recycling techniques. As a result, landfills are facing a growing issue. Therefore, this study investigates the addition of waste beer bottle glass (BG) in fired clay bricks and examines the effects of varying firing temperatures on the physical and mechanical properties of the manufactured samples. Clay bricks containing 10% BG at a firing temperature of 950 °C depicted similar compressive strength results (41 MPa) to the control samples (42 MPa). The results of all tested bricks were found to be below the water absorption limit of 17%. The thermal conductivity of the bricks incorporating BG was investigated, and it was found that the thermal performance improved with the decreasing firing temperature. Moreover, an initial rate of absorption (IRA), XRD, and XRF analysis was conducted. The experimental results have been discussed and compared with the recommended acceptable properties for standard bricks.

Keywords

• waste glass
• recycling
• fired clay bricks
• physical and mechanical properties
• sustainability
• construction materials