An investigation on the production of construction brick with processed waste tea

The main objective of this study is to investigate the utilization potential of processed waste tea (PWT) in clay brick. The effects of processed waste tea material addition on the durability and mechanical properties of the bricks were investigated. Due to the organic nature of PWT, pore-forming (in fired body) and binding (unfired body) ability in clay body was investigated. First, PWT material was dispersed in water for 24 h. Afterwards, in order to get comparable results, different ratios of the waste (0, 2.5, and 5% by mass) were added to the raw-brick clay. Test specimens were produced by the extrusion method. The samples were tested by using the standard test methods and compared with the specifications. The compressive strength of the unfired and fired samples significantly increased as compared to pure samples. As a result, it was concluded that PWT can be utilized in unfired and fired building bricks by taking advantage of low cost and environmental protection. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.