The Effect of Bone Ash on the Physio-Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Clay Ceramic Bricks

Abstract

Bone ash waste can be used to fabricate clay ceramic bricks, consequently managing their pollution of the environment. This is because bone ash (BA) and clay predominantly consist of calcium and alumina-silicate, respectively, which are components of clay ceramic brick (CCB) materials. This study aims to investigate the effect of bone ash and temperature on the physio-chemical and mechanical properties of CCB. Different percentages of bone ash (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were added to clay and heat treated at temperatures of 100 °C, 300 °C, 600 °C, and 900 °C, and their compressive strengths were measured. Prior to the determination of their mechanical properties, the CCB chemical and phase compositions were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The CCB microstructure was evaluated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the compressive strength was tested. The results suggest that the addition of bone ash (10% and 15%) improves the compressive strength and water absorption properties after heat treatment of CCB at higher temperatures.