Nóbrega Filho., Levi Vieira da.
Abstract:
The exploitation of natural resources beyond sustainable levels is one of the main causes of undesirable alterations in the environment, associated with population growth and urbanization process, which generates an enormous quantity of waste, among them the civil construction waste. This huge quantity of waste causes many negative impacts, which compromises the quality of the environment. Scarcity of natural resources, high cost of raw materials extraction and problems caused by improper waste disposal are some of the reasons that lead to the development of studies on recycling in several different areas. The present work aims to analyse the mechanical behaviour of construction and demolition soil-cement-residue compound to determine the possibility of manufacturing soil-cement bricks from construction and demolition waste (CDW), as a practical alternative for recycling. The basic procedure consisted in manufacturing soil-cement bricks and obtaining their physical and mechanical characteristics, highlighting water absorption percentage and resistance to simple compression. The essays were performed for different CDW proportions (20%, 40%, 60% 90%) to replace soil, with the healing time set for 7 and 14 days. The results reached the minimum requirements according to the Brazilian standards. CDW recycling in the manufacture of soil-cement bricks is a sustainable development approach, considering it does not require the burning process used in traditional bricks production and it contributes in reducing waste that would probably be disposed of improperly.
