Investigation on the Manufacturing of Red Bricks Using Pozzolanic Materials: Fly Ash, Gypsum, Lime Powder and Coconut Shell Powder

The following conclusions are drawn from the experimental investigation on manufacturing red bricks using red soil from Kudthini, Ballari district, blended with fly ash, gypsum, lime powder and coconut shell powder:   • The red soil used in the study is a granular, low-plasticity material (specific gravity 2.56, liquid limit 38%, plasticity index about 28.6%, Cu about 22.5) with a maximum dry density of 2.00 g/cm³ at an optimum moisture content of about 10.1%, and is suitable as a base material for brick manufacturing when combined with pozzolanic additives. • Bricks manufactured with a constant proportion of fly ash (32%), gypsum (16%) and lime powder (3%), together with red soil and coconut shell powder, achieved compressive strengths in the range of 5.585–8.585 N/mm², satisfying the IS 3495 requirement for common building bricks (≥3.5 N/mm²) across all mixes tested, and approaching first-class brick strength (≥10 N/mm²) at the lowest CSP content investigated. • Compressive strength decreases progressively with increasing coconut shell powder content, from 8.585 N/mm² at 4% CSP to 7.595 N/mm² at 7% CSP and 5.585 N/mm² at 10% CSP, while brick weight decreases correspondingly, indicating a trade-off between strength and weight reduction that can be tuned to suit the intended structural or non-structural application. • Utilizing fly ash, gypsum and lime powder as pozzolanic binders together with coconut shell powder as a lightweight agricultural-waste filler offers a technically viable, low-cost and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional clay bricks, simultaneously addressing industrial by-product and agricultural waste disposal. • Further studies involving water absorption, efflorescence, durability under wetting–drying cycles, and thermal insulation testing are recommended to fully characterize these bricks prior to large-scale field adoption.

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