Renewable Bricks Manufacturing Using Dairy Sludge by Adding Admixtures Like Construction Waste and Fly Ash

The study investigates the impact of incorporating dairy sludge, construction waste, and fly ash into brick manufacturing, focusing on their effects on compressive strength, production efficiency, and material properties. In our study finds that integrating dairy sludge into the clay body decreases compressive strength, with a maximum allowable addition of 5% to meet Class 10 IS: 1077 standards. Fly ash, particularly Class F with its low calcium oxide content, reduces the firing temperature required for brick production, resulting in energy savings and enhanced sustainability. Bricks incorporating these additives are lighter, leading to lower transportation and labour costs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal varying microstructures for bricks fired at 900°C with different additive ratios, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) shows more cohesive microstructures with higher additive content. Notably, bricks made from an 85% clay and 15% fly ash mixture, fired at 900°C, exhibit improved compressive strength (18.12 N/mm²) and reduced clay usage by up to 15%, highlighting their enhanced performance and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional bricks.