Hindawi

Journal of Engineering
Volume 2021, Article ID 8815965, 10 pages
[Link]

Research Article
Manufacturing of Ecofriendly Bricks Using Microdust
Cotton Waste

Mebrahtom Teklehaimanot ,1 Haregeweyni Hailay,2 and Tamrat Tesfaye 3

1
Department of Garment and Textile Engineering, Ethiopian Institute of Technology, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia
2
Faculty of Textile and Fashion Technology, Aksum Institute of Technology, Aksum University, Axum, Ethiopia
3
Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Correspondence should be addressed to Mebrahtom Teklehaimanot; mebreat@[Link]

Received 21 September 2020; Accepted 27 April 2021; Published 8 May 2021

Academic Editor: Amiya K. Jana

Copyright © 2021 Mebrahtom Teklehaimanot et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.

Large amounts of cotton microwastes are accumulated in textile industries. The cotton microdust is less to ignite and causes
serious environmental problems and health hazards. This paper presents an experimental study, which investigates the potential
use of cotton microdust to produce new and lightweight brick for construction industries. The physical and mechanical properties
of brick mixes having different levels of cotton microdust ratio were investigated. The test results recorded for compressive
strength, unit weight, and water absorption values satisfy the relevant required standards for normal construction bricks. The
results show that the replacement of clay soil and cement by cotton microdust does not exhibit a sudden brittle fracture even
beyond the failure loads, indicates high energy absorption capacity, reduces the unit weight dramatically, and introduces smother
surface compared to the current concrete bricks in the market. The results also show that usage of cotton microdust with different
mixing ratios for bricks will give light-weight composite, and brick could be an economical alternative to be used for partition of
board concrete blocks and sound barrier panels.

1. Introduction exposure. A study has revealed that more than one fourth of
the workers of those sections are facing cotton dust caused
Brick is a building material used to make walls, pavements, diseases regularly. Cotton in its whole processing value chain
and other elements in masonry construction. Since the large can generate potential health hazards.
demand has been placed on building material, especially in The generation of microdust causes chronic coughs and,
the last decade, owing to the increasing population, which sometimes, even bronchitis to the workers who are severely
causes a chronic shortage of building materials, people have exposed to them. Cotton microdusts can produce brick that
been challenged to convert the industrial wastes to useful could be used as a construction material. Due to the demand
materials such as building and construction materials. Ac- of bricks as a building material, many researchers have
cumulation of unmanaged wastes in developing countries investigated the potential wastes that can be recycled or
increased environmental concern. incorporated as an additive in the manufacturing process of
Recycling of such wastes as building materials appears to bricks. Previous research studies [1–3] provided the possible
be a viable solution not only to such pollution problem but utilization of industrial wastes in various forms of concrete
also to the problem of economical design of buildings. In production. For instance, the use of waste rubber, glass
spinning and fabric manufacturing processes, dust and fly powder, and paper waste sludge in concrete mix has received
generated from the industry is a major health hazard for the considerable attention over the past years.
people working inside the textile industry. Cotton microdust Some research studies on the textile waste used in
exists in almost all sections of spinning mills; however, blow concrete mix were carried out in the past, such as the textile
rooms and carding sections have the highest risk of waste cuttings [1], the textile effluent treatment plant sludge
2 Journal of Engineering

[2], and the cotton stalk fibre. Although these research Table 1: Size of cotton dust particles [4].
studies [1–3] using wastes from the textile industry are Types Size of the particle (µm)
providing similar and encouraging results, those wastes are
Trash Above 500
dissimilar in behavior than the cotton wastes (CW) which Dust 50–500
are widely available in large amount from the spinning Microdust 15–50
industry utilized in the presented research. They are mainly Breathable Below 15
used for constructing partitions, and for making a green
building, it is important that the material in such con-
struction process should be environmentally friendly. For them into building materials is a proficient solution to the
large production of bricks from waste materials, further pollution problem. Figure 1 shows the pictorial repre-
research and development is required not only on the sentation of cotton waste and limestone powder.
technical, economic, and environmental aspects but also on Accumulation of unmanaged wastes, especially in de-
standardization, government policy, and public education veloping countries, is the cause of environmental concerns.
related to waste recycling and sustainable development. Such concerns can be partially addressed by recycling of
Cotton dust is defined as dust present in the air during such wastes. Converting such wastes into building materials
the handling or processing of cotton, which may contain a appears to be a viable solution. It not only helps in mitigating
mixture of many substances including ground up plant the pollution problem but also leads to reduced cost of
matter, fibre, bacteria, fungi, soil, pesticides, noncotton plant buildings without compromising on structural strength [11].
matter, and other contaminants which may have accumu- The properties of cotton waste, lime powder waste, and
lated with the cotton during the growing, harvesting, and cement are illustrated in Table 2.
subsequent processing or storage periods. Various types of Using the CW-LPW combination as a fine aggregate in
waste materials from the different industries have been used its natural form has allowed economical, lighter, and en-
in different proportions, and different methods are adopted vironmentally friendly new composite material [12]. This
to produce bricks [4]. The size of cotton dust particles is paper presents the research work undertaken to study the
shown in Table 1. properties of this new composite material which contains the
In recent years, the several facilities have been proac- various levels of CW, cement, sand, gravel, and water.
tively locating markets for this waste material. The alter- Researchers found from their research work that the various
native use of CW fibers includes soil amendment, mulch, wastes that are currently recycled in brick manufacturing
briquetting for direct land application, fuel source, and cattle have been reviewed [13]. Research results from this paper
feed on CW [5]. However, these are not officially and widely report that incorporation of these waste materials in brick
accepted waste management techniques at the moment. The manufacturing could enhance performance in terms of
cotton industries worldwide are expecting to reduce their making more environmental and an economical brick which
CW disposal by alternative options for handling this waste as neither consumes energy resources nor emits pollutant
a by-product that has a potential as a multiuse product. Most gases. Moreover, the use of these materials in brick
of the CW used in this research is currently disposed in manufacturing could be carried out without firing and
sanitary landfills or open dumped into uncontrolled waste becomes a more economical option.
pits and open areas. In addition to this, the result from the previous study
The reuse of waste is meaningful from a variety of motivates researchers to find alternative waste resources to
viewpoints such as to save and sustain the natural building develop sustainable construction material. In the undevel-
material resources; to mitigate the pollution caused by oped countries with inadequate resources, it is even more
stocked waste piles; and to save utilized energy in pro- important. Using natural waste materials with low thermal
duction processes [6]. The productive reuse of waste ma- conductivity in building masonry units improves insulation
terial represents a way of solving the major concern of solid of buildings by providing an energy-efficient solution. The
waste management [7]. Due to expanding urbanization, waste from cotton processing is a mixture of stems, leaves,
poor landfill capacity, and unsuitable burner zones waste soils, and lint. Also, there are few research studies in con-
disposal, using landfilling techniques become more and verting the proposed waste materials for the production of
more difficult [8]. Therefore, industrial waste and by- sustainable construction materials. The aim of this paper is
products could be valuable alternative resources for to partially substitute raw materials and enhance the
building construction and other applications [9]. Nu- properties of manufactured bricks using cotton waste from
merous attempts have been made to incorporate industrial textile industries.
waste in the production of bricks. Textile effluent treatment
plant sludge, cotton waste, rice husk ash, granulated blast 2. Materials and Methods
furnace slag, processed waste tea, petroleum effluent
treatment plant sludge, craft pulp production residue, and 2.1. Material. Cotton dust: cotton dust (Figure 2) that
waste paper pulp are used as a raw material for brick contains a mixture of stems, sand, soil, and lint was kindly
production [10]. The partial or full replacement of con- supplied by Almeda Textile PLC, Adwa, Ethiopia.
ventional building materials that may face depletion have Soil: soil (type reddish clay used for brick manufacturing
compelled engineers to unearth cheaper alternative ma- locally) was supplied by brick manufactures in Axum,
terials. Recycling of such industrial wastes by blending Ethiopia.
Journal of Engineering 3

(a) (b)

Figure 1: (a) cotton waste and (b) limestone powder.

Table 2: The properties of cotton waste (CW), lime powder waste Moulding process: the size of a mold for brick making was
(LPW), and cement [12]. selected by considering the shrinkage effect of the clay. Pro-
Properties CW LPW Cement duced brick shrinks during drying, so the chosen mold size was
larger than the intended finished brick. For hand molding, the
SiO2 (%) 29.42 0.26 19.20
CaO (%) 24.35 56.19 52.00 tempered clay was forced in the mold in such a way that it fills
MgO (%) 0.58 — 1.00 all the corners of the mold. Extra clay was removed by using a
Al2O3 (%) 13.89 0.25 3.70 wooden strike. The mould was then lifted up, and raw brick was
Fe2O3 (%) 0.46 0.30 0.16 left on ground for the drying process (Figure 4).
SO3 (%) — — 2.80 Drying process: drying was carried out by placing the
Na2O (%) — — — bricks in sheds with open sides so as to ensure free circu-
K2O (%) — — 0.27 lation of air and protection from bad weather and rains. As it
Cl (%) — –— 0.006 is clearly seen in Figure 5, molded bricks have been allowed
Loss on ignition (%) 29.40 42.65 8.20 to dry for 7 to 14 days in such a way that there is no direct
Density 0.5 2.67 3.00
contact with sun light.
Specific surface area (m2/kg) — 145 500
Compressive strength for 28 days (MPa) — — 48
Burning of bricks: before the firing process, all the moulded
brick samples were sun-dried as per the conventional method
as shown in Figure 5 for 7–14 days, and most of the water
2.2. Methods present in the brick samples is evaporated in this process
aiming to prevent cracking. Then, the dried brick samples were
2.2.1. Brick Sample Production. The brick manufacturing placed in a burning house for 14 days (Figure 6). All the burnt
and optimization of process parameters for brick production bricks were allowed to cool down and transferred for char-
using waste cotton dust from textile industry were con- acterization to assess and compare the quality of brick pro-
ducted using a research design according to Table 3. duced using cotton waste with the controlled bricks.
Mix preparation: for this specific study, the required
amount of raw materials and additives was measured by using a
24 cm × 12 cm × 6 cm volume box with different ratios. The 2.2.2. Brick Sample Characterization. Compressive strength:
amounts of materials were prepared according to ASTM the dry compressive strength of brick samples was deter-
mixing that means 1 : 2 : 3 and 1 : 2 : 2, where mix ratio 1 : 2 : 3 mined by using the servocontrolled compression test ma-
means one part cement to two parts sand and three parts gravel. chine with a maximum capacity of 800 KN. The compression
In the beginning, the aforementioned raw materials were load was applied onto the face of the sample having the
mixed with water and homogenized with each other in dimensions of 240 mm × 60 mm. The compressive strength
proportion before sample brick preparation (Figure 3(a)). The was determined by dividing the maximum load with the
raw materials have been mixed with enough amount of water applied load area of the brick samples. Also, compressive
to obtain homogeneous and smooth mixture for molding strength was calculated using
operation. In the mixing process of samples, the clay was Force
mixed till it is observed that CW is uniformly scattered within Stress � . (1)
Area
the mixes. In order to obtain more homogeneous mixes, the
water was sprayed by using a water pump onto the mixes Water absorbency: by taking one sample from each
while the mixing was carried out. If mixing was performed mixed ratio, twelve brick samples with the dimension of
effectively, it reduces cracking during drying. Afterward, the 24 cm × 12 cm × 6 cm were used for the water absorption
fresh mixes were fed into the wood molds. test. First, the samples were placed on the oven dry at 105°C
4 Journal of Engineering

(a) (b)

Figure 2: Cotton microdust (a) and soil (b).

Table 3: Experimental plan of the brick production using Design brick samples. The bricks were manufactured from two
Expert 7.0.0. different mixing elements. The first mixes were performed to
Run Component A: cotton microdust, % Component B: soil, % replace cement, and the second mixes were performed to
1 25.00 75.00
replace the soil clay. In the first case, the colors of the brick
2 10.00 90.00 were shifted from dark white to dark green as the ratio of
3 0.00 100.00 cotton increases and the cement content decreases, while for
4 15.00 85.000 the second one, the brick manufactured from 100 % soil after
5 10.00 90.00 burning was found with dull red color (Figure 7). But, after
6 0.00 100.00 mixing with cotton dust and reducing the clay soil, the color
7 25.00 25.00 of the brick becomes light red.
8 0.00 100.00
9 5.00 95.00
10 30.00 70.00
11 15.00 85.00 3.1. Compressive Strength. According to the Indian Standard
12 30.00 70.00 (IS 3495), the minimum compressive strength of burnt
13 30.00 70.00 bricks has three classes: first-class bricks: 10.3 MPa; second-
class brick: 6.8 MPa; and common building brick: 3.4 MPa.
The ten bricks with different mix ratios have different
in order to remove the existing moisture on the brick till no
compressive strengths. From these, the mix ratios of cotton
mass variation is observed. The oven dried bricks were
waste and soil samples are preferable compared to the mix
immersed into the water curing tank (water container tank)
ratio of cement, gravel, sand, and cotton waste samples
for 24 hours. Then, the cured samples were wiped using dry
because the samples are burned to get additional strength.
cloth to remove the excess water, and the weight of brick
The compressive strength test of the produced samples is
after wetting was taken. The water content of samples in
illustrated in Figure 8.
percent was calculated using
The observations during the tests show that the effect of
W1 100% cotton waste does not exhibit a sudden brittle fracture
Water absorbation% � W2 − 􏼒 􏼓 × 100, (2)
W2 even beyond the failure loads and indicates high energy
absorption capacity by allowing lower labouring cost. From
where W1 � dry weight of the brick and W2 � weight of the
this, we can conclude that when the amount of cotton waste
brick after wetting.
increases, the compressive strength of that brick also in-
Mass of the brick sample: the brick samples were cooled
creases and vice versa. The calculated correlation for the
at room temperature, and their unit weights were obtained
compressive strength of the brick samples is “1” (Table 5).
by dividing the mass of the bricks by their overall volume. In
The effect of the amount of cotton dust in the produced
this calculation, the unit weight of the brick is directly
brick samples on compressive strength is shown in Figure 9.
proportional to the mass of the brick, but inversely pro-
Result from Figure 9 indicates that as the cotton waste
portional to volume. Ten samples were tested for the unit
increases from 0% to 20% there is a sharp increase in
weight test by taking one sample from each mix ratio. The
compressive strength properties of the produced brick
samples have the same volume 24 cm × 12 cm × 6 cm and
sample. This could be due to the incorporation of waste
different mass depending on their mix percentages.
cotton fibre in the brick manufacturing process as it en-
mass hances the compressive strength property.
Unit weight � . (3)
volume As it is shown in Table 6, the factorial model selected is
statistically significant. This implies that there is only a 0.01%
3. Results and Discussion chance that a “Model F Value” this large could occur due to
noise.
As it is clearly seen in Table 4, a series of experimental tests Depending on the abovementioned experimental results
were carried out to determine the water absorption, unit for different factors, the following ratios are selected
weight, compressive strength, and weight values of different according to the response targets required.
Journal of Engineering 5

(a) (b)

Figure 3: (a) Clay preparation process; (b) mixing of clay process.

Figure 4: Moulding process.

(a) (b)

Figure 5: Air drying of the produced brick.

Figure 6: Burning process of brick.

6 Journal of Engineering

Table 4: Experimental test results for compressive strength, water absorption, and mass and unit weight of bricks.
Component 1 A; Component 2 B; Response 1, strength Response 2, Response 3, unit weight Response 4;
Run
dust (%) soil (MPa) absorbency (%) (g/cm3) weight (kg)
1 25.00 75 6.562 9.4397 1.2025 2.095
2 10.00 90.00 6.087 6.687 1.4388 2.548
3 0.00 100.00 6.599 5 1.55 2.61
4 15.00 85.00 6.259 7.1907 1.3469 2.37
5 10.00 90.00 6.0799 6.699 1.4299 2.52
6 0.00 100.00 6.677 5.013 1.539 2.6599
7 25.00 75.00 6.562 9.4397 1.2025 2.095
8 0.00 100.00 6.087 5.012 1.541 2.599
9 5.00 95.00 6.382 5.85 1.4889 2.6304
10 30.00 70.00 6.7 11.2 1.2 1.899
11 15.00 85.00 6.263 7.21 1.355 2.355
12 30.00 70.00 6.795 11.199 1.19 1.95
13 30.00 70.00 6.693 11.185 1.15 1.9975

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 7: Brick samples manufactured from different mixing ratios. (a) 20% cotton waste and 80% soil; (b) 10% cotton waste and 90% soil;
(c) 100% soil; and (d) 30% cotton waste and 70% soil.

Figure 8: Compressive strength testing of brick.

Table 5: Correlation data analysis for compressive strength of brick samples.

Cotton dust (%) Compressive strength (MPa)
Cotton dust (%) 1 —
Compressive strength (MPa) 0.948356 1
Journal of Engineering 7

7
6.8

Compressive strength
6.6
6.4

in MPa
6.2
6
5.8
5.6
0 10 20 30 40
Cotton waste (%)
Figure 9: Effect of cotton microdust ratio on brick strength.

Table 6: ANOVA analysis of compressive strength of bricks.

Forced terms A- dust and B- soil, model- linear mixture
Sum of square df Mean square F value p value prob>p —
Source 0.013 2 6.578E-003 9.79 <0.0044 Significant
0.10 1 5.118E-003 7.62 <0.0201 —
AB 3.284E-003 1 8.038E-003 11.79 <0.0061 —

3.2. Water Absorbency. The water absorption of the blank percentage increases. From these results, it can be concluded
sample (100 % cotton dust) is extremely higher. This is an that 40 % replacement of soil clay using cotton waste could be
expected result owing to the water absorption nature of possible if the composite is targeted to be used as partitions
cotton waste. As shown in Table 4, when the mix percentage and interior building construction material.
of cotton waste increases, the water absorption also increases As it is shown in Table 8, the factorial model selected is
due to higher moisture absorption characteristics of cotton. statistically significant. This implies that there is only a 0.01%
According to the Indian Standard (IS 3495), water ab- chance that a “Model F Value” this large could occur due to
sorption of bricks after 24 hours immersion has three classes: noise.
first-class bricks, should not be more than 15%; second-class
bricks, should not be more than 20%; and third-class bricks,
3.3. Mass of the Brick Sample. The mass of brick is also related
should not be more than 25%. The test results in Table 5
with the amount of cotton waste mix percentage (Table 9). For
show that the water absorption of the conventional brick
example, when the mass of the blank sample is compared with
(100% soil) is less than that of the bricks with cotton dust
the other mix ratios, samples that contain more cotton waste
mixture at different ratios. Compared to the blank sample,
are lighter. Using the correlation data analysis, the cotton dust
the 100% cotton dust sample has an extremely high water
percentage and mass of bricks are inversely correlated. The
absorption value. Also, in general, as the cotton dust in-
calculated correlation is “−1,” so as the percent of cotton dust
creases, the water absorption also increases. The water ab-
increases, the mass of the brick also decreases.
sorption of any bricks shall not be more than 20% [6]. In the
The relationship between the amount of cotton dust in
current study, the water absorption properties of the bricks
the brick and the weight of brick is shown in Figure 11. As it
lie in the range between 5–12 % in all mix ratios.
is clearly seen in Figure 11, the mass of the brick reduces as
To know the effect of cotton waste on the water ab-
the cotton mix ratio increases; this could be due to the lighter
sorption property of brick, we use correlation data analysis.
weight of cotton waste compared to lime powder waste and
The correlation data analysis shows the relationship between
cement (Table 2).
the percent of cotton waste with water absorption (Table 7).
As it is shown in Table 10, the factorial model selected is
If the result is “1,” they have a direct relationship. In this
statistically significant. This implies that there is only a 0.01%
case, if one factor increases, the other also increases and vice
chance that a “Model F Value” this large could occur due to
versa. If the result is “−1,” the factors have an inverse re-
noise.
lationship, and if it is “0,” there is no correlation.
The relationship between the amount of cotton waste in
the bricks with the water absorption is shown in Figure 10. 3.4. Unit Weight of Bricks. As it is clearly seen in Table 4, as
From the test result values and the norms for constriction the percentage of cotton increases in the mix, the density of
bricks for the water absorption value, the produced bricks can the bricks reduces; this could be due to lighter weight of
categorized as first-grade bricks. But, the end use of bricks is waste cotton. When the mass of the blank sample is com-
versatile and recommended water absorption may depend on pared with the other mix ratios, the sample that contains
its end use. Especially, bricks needed for water pool, roads, or more cotton waste is lighter. As it is shown in Table 11, the
walls exposed to continuous water touch need special factorial model selected is statistically significant. This im-
treatment and values. As it is clearly seen in Figure 10, the plies that there is only a 0.01% chance that a “Model F Value”
moisture absorption of the composite increases as cotton dust this large could occur due to noise.
8 Journal of Engineering

Table 7: Correlation analysis for water absorption of brick samples.

Cotton dust % Water absorption (%)
Cotton dust (%) 1 —
Water absorption (%) 0.937213725 1

16
14

Water absorption (%)

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0 10 20 30 40
Cotton dust (%)
Figure 10: The effect of cotton dust on moisture absorption of the produced composite.

Table 8: ANOVA (analysis of variance) of bricks for water absorption.

Forced terms A- dust, B- soil, model: linear mixture
Sum of square df Mean square F value p value —
Source 2.22 2 1.11 1057.55 <0.0001 Significant
2.21 1 2.21 2102.26 <0.0001 —
AB 0.013 1 0.013 12.84 0.005 —

Table 9: Correlation data analysis for the mass of brick samples.

Cotton dust (%) Mass (g)
Cotton dust (%) 1 —
Mass (g) −0.99054 1

3000
2500
2000
Mass in (g)

1500
1000
500
0
0 10 20 30 40
Cotton dust (%)
Figure 11: Effect of cotton microdust ratio on the mass of bricks.

Table 10: ANOVA for unit weight of bricks.

Forced terms A- dust and B- soil, model: linear mixture
Sum of square df Mean square F value p value —
Source 0.11 2 0.053 355.23 <0.0001 Significant
0.10 1 0.01 688.29 <0.0001 —
AB 3.284E-003 1 3.284E-003 22.16 <0.008 —

3.5. Selected Mix Ratio. Table 12 shows the optimized selected minimum weight. The optimized value of the bricks was
mixing ratio. The optimization was carried out targeting to achieved at 25.78% dust and 74.22% soil volume fraction. The
achieve maximum strength, minimum water absorption, and total composite is composed of 70% matrix and 30% fibre load.
Journal of Engineering 9

Table 11: ANOVA for unit weight of bricks.

Forced terms Dust and soil, model: linear mixture
Sum of square df Mean square F value p value prob>p —
Source 0.051 1 0.051 681.3 <0.0001 Significant
0.051 1 0.051 681.30 <0.0001 —

Table 12: Selected ratios of mixing.

Name Goal Lower limit Upper limit Lower wt. Upper wt. Importance
Dust In range 0 30 1 1 3
Soil In range 70 100 1 1 3
Strength Maximize 6.0799 6.795 1 1 3
Absorb Minimize 5 11.2 1 1 3
Unit wt. Minimize 1.15 1.55 1 1 3
Weight Minimize 1.899 2.6599 1 1 3
Solutions
Number Dust Soil Strength Abso. Unit wt. Weight Desirability
25.780 74.220 6.52889 9.636 1.2199 2.0876 0.56 Selected

4. Conclusions References
Generally, brick can be produced from different industrial [1] F. F. Aspiras and J. R. I. Manalo, “Utilization of textile waste
wastes, and it can be used for different purposes in con- cuttings as building material,” Journal of Materials Processing
structions such as for aesthetic purposes, structure unit, and Technology, vol. 48, no. 1–4, pp. 379–384, 1995.
fire resistance. From the finding of study, the bricks man- [2] J. Balasubramanian, P. C. Sabumon, J. U. Lazar, and
ufactured from the mix of cement, cotton waste, gravel, and R. Ilangovan, “Reuse of textile effluent treatment plant sludge
in building materials,” Waste Management, vol. 26, no. 1,
sand have less compressive strength than bricks manufac-
pp. 22–28, 2006.
tured from cotton waste and soil. The observations during
[3] G. Li, Y. Yu, Z. Zhao, J. Li, and C. Li, “Properties study of
the tests show that the effect of 100% cotton waste does not
cotton stalk fiber/gypsum composite,” Cement and Concrete
exhibit a sudden brittle fracture even beyond the failure Research, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 43–46, 2003.
loads and indicates high energy absorption capacity by [4] B. M. Sangeetha, R. S. Murugesan, S. Atharsha, K. Saranyaa
allowing lower labouring cost. The cotton has an effect in Sri, and R. Selvaraj, “Cotton dust level in textile industries and
order to increase the water absorption of the brick, while up its impact on human,” International Journal of Scientific and
to 40 % of cotton waste with soil is good. As the cotton waste Research Publications, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 2250–3153, 2013.
percentage increases, the water absorption and compressive [5] P. F. Hamlyn, “Cultivation of edible mushrooms on cotton
strength of the brick also increase, but the mass of the brick waste,” Mycologist, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 171–173, 1994.
decreases. The microdusts are very fine and denser, so they [6] R. K. Raju Sarakar, R. Kurar, A. Gupta, A. Mudgal, and
increase the cohesiveness of the clay for brick. The bricks V. Gupta, “Use of paper mill waste for brick making,” Cogent
manufactured from soil and cotton waste have good results Engineering, vol. 4, no. 1, 2017.
because they burn in order to increase their strengths. [7] M. L. Davis and D. A. Cornweel, Introduction to Environ-
Therefore, the microdusts of cotton mixes with soil are mental Engineering, McGraw Hill, New York, NY, USA, 2012.
preferable to manufacture brick. It results in a sturdy lighter- [8] U. Nguyen Ngoc and H. Schnitzer, “Sustainable solution for
weight composite having potential to be used for walls, as a solid waste management,” Waste Management, vol. 29, no. 6,
wooden board substitute, economical alternative to the pp. 1982–1995, 2009.
concrete blocks, and sound barrier panels. [9] D. V. Beers, G. Corder, A. Bossilkov, and R. V. Berkel, “In-
dustrial symbosis in the Australian minerals industry,”
Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol. 11, pp. 55–72, 2007.
Data Availability [10] S. N. Joglekar, R. A. Kharkar, S. A. Mandavgane, and
B. D. Kulkarni, “Sustainability of brick for low cost housing: a
Data will be available on request. comparison between waste based bricks and burnt clay
bricks,” Sustainable Cities and Society, vol. 37, pp. 396–406,
Conflicts of Interest 2018.
[11] D. Rajput, S. S. Bhagade, S. P. Raut, R. V. Ralegaonkar, and
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. S. A. Mandavgane, “Reuse of cotton and recycle paper mill
waste as building material construction and building mate-
Acknowledgments rials,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 34, pp. 470–
475, 2012.
This work was supported by the Faculty of Textile and [12] H. M. Algin and P. Turgut, “Cotton and limestone powder
Fashion Technology, Aksum Institute of Technology, Aksum wastes as brick material,” Construction and Building Mate-
University, Axum, Ethiopia. rials, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 1074–1080, 2008.
10 Journal of Engineering

[13] P. Darshan, P. Vivek, R. Viresh, S. Hardik, and V. Dipesh,

“Comparsion of brick made from black cotton soil with
various admixture to the normal,” IJIRST –International
Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology, vol. 1,
no. 7, 2015.