Suitability and sustainability of sugarcane bagasse ash bricks

Abstract

The present paper deals with the investigation of the suitability and sustainability considerations of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) for the development of cellular lightweight (CLW) bricks. SBA was characterised and found suitable as a pozzolanic or a cementitious material. Physico-mechanical, durability and thermal tests were conducted on CLW-SBA bricks and the results conformed to the Indian standard requirements. The comparison showed that CLW-SBA bricks were lighter in weight (43%) and higher in compressive strength (32%) and had lower thermal conductivity (70%) than commercially available fly ash (FA) bricks. The computationally developed CLW-SBA model (1 m × 1 m × 1 m) resulted in a 7% improvement in thermal comfort and a 29% cost saving as compared to the FA model room. The developed SBA bricks were found suitable for non-load-bearing wall construction with better physico-mechanical properties and more economic as compared to commercially available sustainable FA bricks.