Performance assessment of fired bricks incorporating pomegranate peels waste

Abstract

AbstractThis research investigated the reuse potential of pomegranate peels waste (PPW) in the production of fired clay bricks with improved thermo-physical and mechanical properties. PPW was used as a substitute for natural clay with different replacement ratios ranging from 0 to 12.5% with a stride of 2.5 wt%. The impact of adding PPW on compressive strength, total porosity, water absorption, bulk density, thermal conductivity and microstructure characteristics has been assessed for bricks fired at 900, 1000 and 1100 °C. With the increase of PPW replacement ratio, the bulk density, thermal conductivity and compressive strength decreased. The obtained results confirm the possibility of using PPW as a sustainable pore forming agent in brick industry. The incorporation of 12.5 wt% PPW showed the lowest bulk density (1230 kg/m3), the lowest thermal conductivity (0.2 W/mK), the lowest compressive strength (5.5 MPa), the highest water absorption (38%), and the highest total porosity (48%) for bricks fired at 1000 °C. The obtained compressive strength satisfies the minimum acceptable requirements for clay bricks. The contribution of the newly developed bricks to the energy consumption performance of a building model has been evaluated by using DesignBuilder energy simulation software. A considerable reduction in the annual energy consumption by about 23.3% has been attained as compared to the traditional bricks.