Tijolo solo-cimento reforçado com partículas vegetais e resíduo de mineração

Abstract

The use of industrial or agro-industrial residues in civil construction is an environmentally correct and economically viable option. Mining and plant residues are some of those studied to produce alternative civil construction materials given the high availability of these residues. The soil-cement brick is prominent as an important alternative material for the construction of houses. This material, basically composed of soil, Portland cement, and water, is sustainable when compared to conventional brick since the burn is removed during its production process. The objectives of this study were to produce, characterize, and evaluate the physical, mechanical, and thermal behavior of soil-cement bricks made with different types and percentages of solid mining and plant residues. The bricks were produced by replacing different percentages (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40%) of soil for mining residue, as well as adding 1.5% (in mass) of plant particles (Eucalyptus grandis, Pinus oocarpa, coffee husk, and sugarcane bagasse) to the matrix, which consists of a mixture of soil (A-4 classification) and CPV - ARI cement. We determined the technological properties such as bulk density, water absorption, loss of mass by immersion, resistance to compression, thermal conductivity, and microstructure, before and after accelerated aging. The experimental results indicated that the addition of mining residue influenced the behavior of cement bricks in the soil. Furthermore, the residue can be incorporated into the brick in a proportion of up to 40%, considering the current characterization standards. Regarding the replacement of soil by plant particles, the results indicated a negative influence on the physical properties of the bricks. However, all treatments met the specifications of the product's marketing standards. The treatments with coffee husk and sugarcane bagasse presented resistance to compression values inferior to the established by the norm, although they presented the best thermal insulation properties. The bricks produced with pine particles obtained the best results, considering the current characterization standards. Therefore, we sought to create a new product with adequate physical and mechanical properties associated with thermal comfort for the application in civil construction.