Physical and mechanical studies of kaolin-based geopolymer masonry brick

Abstract

A brick is mainly applied as a building material in construction of walls. Conventional construction bricks are usually made from Portland cement, clay and sand, which are mixed and molded in various method and need to be dried and burned with the temperature range between 900 to 1200 degree centigrade. The drying and firing process takes 2 to 4 days to be done. Other than that, the production of Portland cement consume high energy and can emit 1 to 1.2 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) for every 1 ton of Portland cement product. Nowadays, a novel family of building materials which is geopolymer cement has seen a great development around the world. It is caused by the environmental issues that pressured the industries to manufacture a products and materials that are more environmental friendly. The aim of this research was to produce a product that would provide an alternative to the conventional bricks with a good properties by utilizing a geopolymer material which is kaolin, reduce the pollution of environment by replacing the usage of Portland cement in brick making industry, and produce effectively usable product by enhance the properties of ordinary product. This study has been conducted to produce kaolin-based geopolymer bricks by means of pressure forming without firing procedure and low energy consumptions.