Fabrication of Low-Temperature Sintering Building Bricks Using Drilling Cutting and Geopolymeric Technology

• Published in: Materials Vol. 14; no. 20; p. 5940
• Main Authors: Lee, Wei-Hao, Hsieh, Yi-Che, Wang, Hsin-Wen, Ding, Yung-Chin, Cheng, Ta-Wui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 10-10-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Bricks; building brick; Caustic soda; Compressive strength; Drilling; drilling cutting; Drilling muds; Exploratory drilling; geopolymer; Hazardous wastes; High temperature; Low temperature; Mechanical properties; Physical properties; Porosity; Process parameters; Raw materials; Scanning electron microscopy; Sintering; Sintering (powder metallurgy); Sodium; Sodium silicates; Water absorption; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma14205940

This study explores the practicability of using drill cutting (DC) as raw material to fabricate building bricks through the high-temperature sintering method and low-temperature geopolymeric setting (LTGS) process. Drilling mud can be recycled and reutilized after certain treatment procedures and is considered as a non-hazardous waste. However, the treatment process is time-consuming and not cost-effective. For the sintering method, low porosity and high mechanical strength bricks can be sintered at temperatures above 800 °C and meet CNS standards. For the low-temperature geopolymeric setting process, sodium silicate was selected as an activating agent for geopolymerization of drill cutting. Several process parameters, such as Si2O/Na2O modulus of alkali solution and low-temperature geopolymeric setting temperature, were investigated. The physical and mechanical properties of the fabricated brick were evaluated. According to the test results, 72.4 MPa compressive strength building bricks with low porosity (13.9%) and water absorption (6.0%) can be fabricated with 2.0 Si2O/Na2O alkali solution at 500 °C. The drill cutting brick fabricated not only meets the CNS 382.R2002 common brick standard, but also solve its disposal problem.