Manufacturing of Bricks from Pumice, Fly Ash and Waste Lime from Fertilizer Industry Multan

Abstract

Lime has been used for construction since Mughal Era. These days, brick making has been incorporated in the policies for low-cost houses. Lime use for bricks has been increased globally due to its availability from industrial waste. One of the largest components of the Lime from Multan Fertilizer waste is “Lime chalk calcium carbonate (CaCO₃, 87.5%)”. Reuse of refused Lime from Multan Fertilizer waste for the production of bricks is a suitable solution. This project is focusing to utilize lime for making bricks. “Lime chalk, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃, 87.5%)”, was mixed with sand replacement Pumice and fly ash in fixed proportions. Those mixtures were then used to cast the cylinder (10×3 inches). Compressive strength, heat resistance, and water absorption tests were performed on those blocks, and results were analyzed and compared with those of conventional concrete blocks and clay bricks. Conventional concrete blocks absorb about 9.5% of the water while water absorption of the Lime from the Multan Fertilizer block is only 0.24%.