Performance and microstructural evaluation of eco-friendly construction bricks containing fly ash and residual rice husk ash

Abstract

This research presents the engineering performance and the microstructural characterization of eco-friendly construction bricks that were produced using a binder material made from a mixture of class-F fly ash (FA) and residual rice husk ash (RHA). Unground rice husk ash (URHA) was used as a partial fine aggregate substitute (0–40%). The solid bricks of 220×105×60 mm in size were prepared by mixing FA and RHA with an alkaline solution and fine aggregates; formed by compressing the mixture in a steel mold under 35 MPa of forming pressure; and then cured at 350C and 50% relative humidity until the required testing ages. The tests of compressive strength, water absorption, and bulk density were conducted in accordance with relevant Vietnamese standards in order to estimate the effect of the URHA content on the engineering performance of the hardened bricks. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed to determine the microstructure and the phase composition of the brick samples. The results show that properties of these bricks conformed to relevant Vietnamese standards. Therefore, FA and RHA are potential candidate materials for producing eco-friendly construction bricks using geopolymerization technology.